Most people don't think of butterflies as insects but they are. Butterflies are loved for their beauty. It is hard to think of another insect that is loved for their beauty. Insects are most often thought of as pests. Mosquitoes, black flies and horse flies to name a few can drive you crazy at times. Butterflies don't bite or sting and are beautiful to look at.
Moths are cousins to butterflies and have the same life cycle. They are considered advanced insects because of their lifecycle. They have what is called a complete lifecycle because there are four distinct stages and each one looks completely different and has its own purpose.
The transformation from one stage to another is one of the most experiential wonders of nature taught to school children. The first stage is the egg which is tiny. The female attaches the egg to leaves, stems, or other things on or near the food the eventual caterpillar will eat.
The second stage is the caterpillar which is very interesting to look at with patterns of stripes or patches and sometimes spine like hairs. The caterpillar eats and grows and sheds its skin at least four times while growing to keep the body enclosed.
The third stage is the transformation stage from the caterpillar to the butterfly or moth and is called the chrysalis stage. The tissues are broken down and the structure of the adult butterfly or moth is formed. The chrysalis is brown or green so that it blends into the background for protection from birds, bats and other predators.
The final stage is the butterfly or moth emerging as adults. At this stage they are courting, mating and laying eggs and forming new colonies. Gardeners love to see butterflies in their gardens because of their beauty. Having butterflies and moths in your garden are a sign of a healthy environment. These insects survive on the nectar from plants so if insecticides have been used the butterflies and moths will be killed.
Those gardeners who want lots of butterflies in their garden often create a butterfly garden. They plant the type of plants and flowers that the butterflies in their area like to both feed on and lay their eggs on. A fun activity for the whole family is to raise your own butterflies for your butterfly garden. The easiest way to do this is to buy a butterfly kit which allows you to grow them from the caterpillar stage on. It takes about three weeks to go from caterpillar to butterfly and the outside temperature has to be above 55 degrees Fahrenheit to release them into the wild.
