<BUTTERFL

Peterson & Pyle (1993) noted that, Watching butterflies is a visual activity; like birdwatching or birding. it trains the eye. But we can usually approach butterflies more closely than we can birds. We do not need binoculars to see them well.

Most of you who are fascinated by butterflies, if you live in the eastern or central parts of the United States or Canada, will want to own A Field Guide to the Butterflies. Or, if you live in the West.... A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. These guides offer shortcuts in recognizing even the most confusing butterflies, using little arrows that point to the special features or marks by which one kind of butterfly may be known from another. Some, like the Monarch, are readily distinguished from all other butterflies except for one-- its mimic, the Viceroy. In the Field Guide an arrow points to the black line across the lower wing, a line that the Monarch lacks.

Even a person who is colorblind can become skilled at identifying most butterflies by the shape of the wing, the pattern, venation, and even the manner of flight; but, for most of us, color is the first step....

Many groups of butterflies are basically similar in color. Sulphurs are usually yellow, fritillaries orange, blues blue, wood nymphs brown. Basic color is a useful first clue when putting names to them, but color alone is not enough to identify most butterflies on the species level. Most sulphurs, for example, are yellow. You must also look at other details to narrow your butterfly down to a Common Sulphur, a Dogface, and Orange Sulphur, or whatever. Nevertheless, color is step number one.

There are literally hundreds of species of butterflies in North America..... Some of the most familiar butterflies are those that feed on the nectar offered by the common roadside flowers.

Parts of a Butterfly. The diagram shows the makeup of a typical butterfly. You need to become familiar with its parts for identification. Every butterfly has four wings, each with an upper side (above) and an underside (below). The wings may be held in an open or closed position, depending upon what a butterfly is doing-- basking in the sun, hiding from predators, or courting, for example. The colors on the wings come from scales. These are tiny shingles that cover both butterflies and moths, setting them apart from all other insects. Some of these scales are colored by pigments, others are shaped so they bend the light like a prism to create iridescent or metallic colors. Because scales fall off or fade as a butterfly ages, its colors may change somewhat. The patterns on the wings serve many functions-- camouflage (such as false eyespots to fool predators), attracting mates, and so on. These patterns may vary from place to place and often differ between sexes.

Peterson & Pyle (1993) refer to the upper- and undersides of the wings; to the base, cell, tip, and margins or borders of wings, and to forewings and hindwings. All these are labeled on the diagram. The wings and legs attach to the thorax, the middle of the body between the head and the abdomen. On the head are the large, many-faceted eyes, the knobbed antennae (moths have pointed ones), and the coiled, drinking-straw tongue or proboscis. Usually the body parts are brown or black, but they may be covered with colorful, furry scales.

Life History. Butterflies have four life stages. The adults mate and the female lays eggs, which hatch into tiny caterpillars or larvae. These, feeding on particular kinds of host plants, grow and shed their skins. Finally, out comes the chrysalis or pupa. Within this case, one of the greatest miracles in nature takes place as the larval material rearranges itself to become the adult butterfly. When it is ready, the butterfly emerges, spreads and dries its wings, and begins the cycle once more.

Identification. Just like birds, most butterflies possess field marks-- special features that will help you in telling them apart..... Other facts-- such as locality, plant association, and flight period-- help in identification as well.

Spotting Butterflies. First you must find butterflies. The most important factor is sunshine. While some butterflies come out on cloudy days, most are sun worshipers. Different species fly at different times, from early spring to late autumn, and a few even fly in midwinter as long as the days are sunny and warm. Butterflies seek flowers, so you must do the same. Not all gardens and wildflowers have nectar that is equally attractive to butterflies, so you will want to learn which flowers in your area are their favorites. Phlox, thistle, milkweed, butterfly bush, and dandelions are always good. Butterflies also love tree sap, rotting fruit, carrion, and animal scat. Damp patches of sand or mud attract butterflies-- swallowtails, sulphurs, blues, and skippers are avid mud-puddlers. When you can identify the plant on which the butterfly's caterpillar feeds, you have another good clue to finding it.

Having once located butterflies, you then need to approach them ever so gently. Move slowly and make no quick movements. This way you can creep very close-- close enough to take a butterfly onto your finger or to observe it with a hand lens. Binoculars are useful for spotting butterflies that are too high, far, or wary to approach.

Butterfly Diversity. The word diversity refers to how many different kinds there are. In North America, butterflies are about as diverse as birds, much less so than flowers. Most that accompany this section are common species. Others are especially beautiful or interesting for their natural history. Their colors and patterns range from brilliant and striking to soft and simple.

Scientists don't all agree on how many butterfly families there are. Within the brush-footed family there are several groups that others consider to be separate families. Regardless of family names, you will quickly see how all longwings fit together but differ from fritillaries, for example. It is more important to get to know the butterfly itself as a living creature than to worry about classification. With common sense and open eyes, you will gain a feel for evolutionary relationships among butterflies. Observing them and coloring their pictures are useful ways of getting started.

Butterfly Conservation and Enjoyment. Many butterflies can live only in certain places..... If those places are destroyed, the butterflies die out. .....several endangered species that prove this point-- Schaus' Swallowtail, Atala, Mitchell's Marsh Satyr, and the Dakota Skipper. Rarities like these should be collected sparingly, if at all. But for the most part, it is habitat destruction rather than collecting that threatens rare butterflies. If you go on to study insects in depth, you will probably form a collection. With care and common sense, insect collecting need not be damaging and it is necessary for the progress of entomology (the scientific study of insects). But most butterfly lovers would prefer to enjoy butterflies alive. They do so by watching, photographing, or gardening for butterflies.

SWALLOWTAILS:

The largest and some of the most colorful butterflies belong to the family Papiliionidae, which includes the swallowtails. Most swallowtails have tails on their hind wings that serve to distract birds from the butterfly's body. The family also includes the very unique waxy white and red-spotted parnassians, which live in mountains of the northern states. Swallowtails occur in most parts of the world.

Spicebush Swallowtail, Papilio troilus <LEP1> (COLOR PICTURE ) (SKETCH )

This butterfly occurs in the eastern United States, its name coming from the caterpillar's host plant. Often found in fields and gardens, especially near woods. Here it gathers nectar on bush honeysuckle. The velvety black wings and body are yellow -spotted. Two rows of bright orange spots enclose starry clouds of blue or green scales on the hindwings.

Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor <LEP2 > (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH )

Small greenish spots run around the edges of the wings. The forewings are jet black, but the hindwings with their tails shimmer with a brilliant blue or blue-green iridescence. The caterpillars feed on poisonous pipevines, which give the adults an awful taste. Birds avoid them and several other butterflies that have come to mimic the Pipevine. The example here is on Japanese honeysuckle.

Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus <LEP3> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH-1 ) (SKETCH-2 )

Common in every eastern city, this big bright swallowtail prefers phlox and thistle for nectar. A similar species lives throughout the western United States. Both are lemon-yellow with black tiger-stripes. The underside, as shown in the drawing, has a field of blue patches along the outer part. Orange spots run along the outer edge of the hindwing. Here it is on garden phlox.

Palamedes Swallowtail, Papilio palamedes <LEP4> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH-1 ) (SKETCH-2 )

This species is especially abundant in the southeastern woods of the United States. Palamedes has very broad wings enabling it to fly well. The lower surface is generally dark brown with yellow spots. A row of orange chevrons crosses the hindwing, each lined with brilliant blue. Orange-red spots edge the wing to below the long, rounded tail.

Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes <LEP5> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH)

This is the largest butterfly in North America, reaching almost 6 inches across. The huge, saddled caterpillar, known as the Orange Dog, feeds on citrus. It resembles the dropping of a bird, so that predators usually avoid it. The wings are mostly black with yellow bands above, yellow with black bands below. Both sides have an orange spot near the tip of the body, with blue crescents. Two Giants are shown feeding on the nectar of lilac.

Zebra Swallowtail, Eurytides marcellus <LEP6> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH)

This species has the most pronounced tail of all North American swallowtails. Black stripes alternate with creamy white bands, and a scarlet streak crosses the middle of the hindwing. A pair of red spots, then two blue ones, lead down to the long tail. This striking butterfly is found only where pawpaw grows as the larvae feed on this plant.

Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon <LEP7> (COLOR PICTURE ) (SKETCH)

This species and its relative differ from the Tigers by having yellow bands across black wings instead of black stripes on yellow. Blue spots rim the hindwings, leading down to the black-pupilled orange spot inward from the black tails. Anise Swallowtails commonly seek mates on mountaintops.

Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio multicaudata <LEP8> (COLOR PICTURE ) (SKETCH)

It sports a pair of tails on each hindwing. The bright yellow wings and abdomen carry narrow black stripes. A field of blue liens inside the marginal yellow spots, and the two spots below the tails are red-orange. Two-tailed Tigers soar through western canyons where wild cherries provide nectar and host-plant forage. The picture shows one visiting teasel.

Short-tailed Swallowtail, Papilio brevicauda <LEP9> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH)

This species occurs only in the Maritime region of Canada. Like other black swallowtails, its larval host plants are in the carrot family. Its color is very black, with yellow spots, giving each spot an orange flush toward the outer edge. There is some blue between the yellow spot rows of the hindwing.

Eastern Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes <LEP10> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH)

This is a common swallowtail in gardens, meadows and wetlands of the Rockies. Bright orange spots parallel the yellow spots below, with clouds of blue scales between them. Only the corner spot near the body is orange above. It occurs commonly in gardens around carrots.

Schaus' Swallowtail, Papilio aristodemus <LEP11> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH)

Sometimes called the Ponceanus Swallowtail, it is an endangered species. Destruction of its tropical hardwood hammock habitat in Florida has brought it near extinction. Efforts have been made to save it. The general color below is mustard yellow with brown bands. The large patch on the hindwing is rusty-red, lined by sky-blue on its outer edge. It is shown feeding on nectar of red hibiscus.

Old World Swallowtail, Papilio machaon <LEP12> (COLOR PICTURE) (SKETCH)

Mostly an arctic butterfly in North America, it is common in Europe and Asia. The black wings have broad yellow bands and are peppered with yellow scales near the body. A row of blue-scaled patches runs around the hindwing above the black tails, ending in a large orange spot that is rimmed with black and capped with blue. Also called Artemisia Swallowtail

Oregon Swallowtail, Papilio bairdii oregonia <LEP13>