1. What Is a Butterfly What Is a Butterfly By Tomara Austin

2. Butterflies A butterfly is a member of the Lepidoptera family. The name refers to the tiny scales covering the adult insect's wings. Due to their bright colors and visits to flowers, butterflies are the most familiar of insects to humans.

3. Many Butterflies There are about 17,500 species of butterflies in the world, and around 750 species in the united states. Butterflies (and moths) are the only group of insects that have scales covering their wings.

4. Caterpillars Caterpillars are the names given to the larvae of butterflies. When they are developing, their skin may be shed four or more times, with each molt often changing the coloration and appearance of the caterpillar.

5. Metamorphosis They eat voraciously to transform plant material into tissues that they will need for metamorphosis. Caterpillars of a butterfly species only feed on specific plants providing the correct chemical for storage or sequestration during pupation, when caterpillars reorganize their bodies and metamorphose.

6. Pollination Butterflies visit plants for several reasons. First, butterflies need nectar to provide energy for flying and reproduction. Plants provide nectar in flowers and butterflies transport pollen to ensure reproduction with unrelated individuals.

7. Colorful Colorful Butterflies are brightly colored as a way to advertise their distastefulness to predators. Butterflies appear in two types, pigment and structural, frequently combined in one individual. Pigment colors are familiar in paints, dyes, and inks, and are defined as specific substances with definite chemical composition. Butterflies are brightly colored as a way to advertise their distastefulness to predators. Butterflies appear in two types, pigment and structural, frequently combined in one individual. Pigment colors are familiar in paints, dyes, and inks, and are defined as specific substances with definite chemical composition.

8. Beautiful Butterflies Beautiful Butterflies Butterflies are very beautiful insects. There are many different books in the library to find out more about butterflies