Last updated on July 12th, 2024
41. Excellent vision
Butterflies have excellent vision and of course they depend on their eyes to feed and to reproduce.
42. Quick and light at flying
Butterflies are quite nimble fliers in spite of their large wings and are able to navigate substantial obstacle fields. This ability is shared with moths and is possibly an ancestral trait that has its roots hundreds of millions of years ago.
43. Females take the pressure
Evolutionary pressure encourages female butterflies to have reproductive capabilities earlier than male butterflies. The reason might be male competition or the right timing.
44. The largest collection of butterflies
The largest collection of moth and butterfly specimens is in the Lepidoptera Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. There are over 4 million specimens in this collection.
45. They can sense unhealthy environment
If butterflies struggle in an area, it could be a sign of contamination from pesticide or some other pollution. As butterflies pupate, have fast metabolisms, and fly around, they are sensitive to toxins.
46. Some species can lay webs
Some butterfly species in North America lay webbing and use this webbing to protect their caterpillars throughout winter. These caterpillars can emerge from their protection and then eat on fresh shoots of tender leaves.
47. Can you guess their population?
In the British Isles, blue tit birds eat up to 50 billion moth caterpillars in a year. This is just one example of how many moths and caterpillars are in the world in one season.
48. They can be toxic too, beware!
Most butterflies are non-toxic but some have colors that suggest toxicity to predators. Some caterpillars actually are toxic by storing the toxins that are obtained by plants.
49. Importance in genetics related research
Butterfly evolution has been very important to scientific research into areas of genetics and evolution. Invertebrates evolve faster than vertebrates, and butterflies have traits that promote their own diversification.
50. Significant members of the ecosystem
After bees, butterflies and moths are the most important pollinators and are ecologically and economically very important. Many butterfly species will feed from a variety of plants, and so help to pollinate many fruits edible to humans.
51. One of the most beautiful beings
The Smithsonian Institute has personally acknowledged the long cultural value of butterflies, admitting simply that butterflies are one of the most appealing creatures in nature. Given their intricate beauty, few other creatures compare in color complexity.
52. A colourful childhood memory
A popular summer pastime for many children has been to observe and catch butterflies. This is a valuable lesson and fascination for a child. Butterflies have been studied by etymologists for over 300 years. They were studied in antiquity because people thought that butterflies were related to magical processes.