The most beautiful butterflies in the world. Beautiful butterflies of our planet Types of moths and their names
The butterfly belongs to the class insects, the type of arthropods, the order Lepidoptera (lat. Lepidóptera).
The Russian name "butterfly" comes from the Old Slavic word "babъka", which denoted the concept of "old woman" or "grandmother". In the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, it was believed that these were the souls of the dead, so people treated them with respect.
Butterfly: description and photo. The structure and appearance of butterflies
In the structure of the butterfly, two main sections are distinguished - the body, protected by a hard chitinous shell, and the wings.
A butterfly is an insect whose body consists of:
- Head, inactively connected to the chest. The butterfly's head is rounded with a slightly flattened occipital part. Round or oval convex eyes of a butterfly in the form of hemispheres, which occupy most of the lateral surface of the head, have a complex faceted structure. Butterflies have color vision, and they perceive moving objects better than stationary ones. In many species, additional simple parietal eyes are located behind the antennae. The structure of the oral apparatus depends on the species and can be of the sucking or gnawing type.
- A breast with a three-segment structure. The front part is much smaller than the middle and back, where three pairs of legs are located, which have a structure characteristic of insects. On the lower legs of the forelegs of the butterfly, there are spurs designed to maintain the hygiene of the antennae.
- The abdomen has the shape of an elongated cylinder, consisting of ten annular segments with spiracles located on them.
Butterfly structure
The antennae of the butterfly are located on the border of the parietal and frontal parts of the head. They help butterflies navigate their surroundings, perceiving air fluctuations and various odors.
The length and structure of the antennae depend on the species.
Two pairs of butterfly wings, covered with flat scales of different shapes, have a membranous structure and are pierced with transverse and longitudinal veins. The size of the hind wings can be the same as the front ones or much smaller than them. The pattern of the butterfly's wings varies from species to species and captivates with its beauty.
In macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very clearly visible - they can have completely different shape and color.
Butterfly wings - macro photography
The appearance and color of the butterfly's wings serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition, but also act as a protective camouflage that allows you to merge with environment... Therefore, colors can be either monochrome or variegated with a complex pattern.
The size of a butterfly, or better to say the wingspan of a butterfly, can range from 2 mm to 31 cm.
Classification and types of butterflies
The large detachment of Lepidoptera includes more than 158 thousand representatives. There are several systems for classifying butterflies, quite complex and confusing, with constant changes taking place in them. The most successful is the scheme dividing this detachment into four suborders:
1) Primary toothed moths. These are small butterflies, the wingspan of which ranges from 4 to 15 mm, with a gnawing type of mouth apparatus and antennae, which reach in length up to 75% of the size of the front wings. The family consists of 160 species of butterflies.
Typical representatives are:
- golden small wing (lat. Micropteryx calthella);
- marigold small wing (lat. Micropteryx calthella).
2) Trunkless butterflies. The wingspan of these insects, covered with dark small scales with cream or black spots, does not exceed 25 mm. Until 1967, they were classified as the primary toothed moths, with which this family has much in common.
The most famous butterflies from this suborder:
- flour moth (lat. Asopia farinalis L.),
- fire fir cones(lat. Dioryctrica abieteila).
3) Heterobathmia, represented by one family Heterobathmiidae.
4) Proboscis butterflies, which make up the most numerous suborder, consisting of several dozen families, which include more than 150 thousand species of butterflies. The appearance and size of the representatives of this suborder are very diverse. Below are several families showing the full variety of proboscis butterflies.
- Family Sailboats, represented by medium and large butterflies with a wingspan of 50 to 280 mm. The pattern on the wings of butterflies consists of black, red or blue spots of various shapes, clearly visible on a white or yellow background. The most famous of them are:
- Swallowtail butterfly;
- Sailboat "Glory of Bhutan";
- Queen Alexandra's birdwing and others.
Swallowtail butterfly
- The Nymphalis family, a characteristic feature of which is the absence of thickened veins on wide angular wings with a variegated color and various patterns. The wingspan of butterflies varies from 50 to 130 mm. Representatives of this family are:
- Admiral butterfly;
- Daytime peacock butterfly;
- Butterfly urticaria;
- Mourning butterfly, etc.
Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)
Day peacock butterfly
Butterfly urticaria (Aglais urticae)
Mourning butterfly
- represented by night butterflies with narrow wings, the span of which does not exceed 13 cm and is distinguished by a characteristic pattern. The abdomen of these insects is thickened, fusiform. The most famous butterflies of this family:
- Hawk moth "dead head";
- Oleander hawk moth;
- Poplar hawk moth.
- Scoop family, which includes more than 35,000 species of moths. The wingspan of gray fluffy wings with a metallic shade is 35 mm on average. However, in South America, there is a species of tizania agrippina butterflies with a wingspan of 31 cm or an atlas peacock eye, the size of which resembles a medium-sized bird.
Where do butterflies live in nature?
The distribution area of butterflies on the planet is very wide. It does not include only the icy expanses of Antarctica. Butterflies are found everywhere from North America and Greenland to the coast of Australia and the island of Tasmania. The largest number of species was found in Peru and India. These fluttering insects make their flights not only in the flowering valleys, but also high in the mountains.
What do butterflies eat?
Many butterflies eat pollen and nectar. flowering plants... Many species of butterflies feed on tree sap, overripe and rotting fruits. And the dead head hawk maker is a real gourmet, because he often flies into the hives and feasts on the honey they collect.
Some nymphalid butterflies need various trace elements and additional moisture. Their source is excrement, urine and sweat of large animals, wet clay, and human sweat.
.These butterflies include the Madagascar comet, whose wingspan is 14-16 cm. The life span of this butterfly is 2-3 days.
There are also "vampires" among butterflies. For example, males of some species of moths maintain their strength thanks to the blood and tears of animals. Such is the vampire butterfly (lat. Calyptra).
This year, in the very heat, at the very height of summer, an incredible number of butterflies, usually not very common, and even some time ago, were in the red book, appeared. Velvety-dark to black, with a bright orange-red stripe on the wing and white spots, they circle with the same large peacock's eye over meadow flowers. It is thanks to this red stripe, reminiscent of stripes, that the butterfly was named admiral(lat. Vanessa atalanta). They flutter over the meadow flowers, sit down to drink nectar, but will gladly taste the bursting fruit or the juice flowing out on the wounds of the trees. When a butterfly sits on a flower, spreading its wings, it stands out as a bright spot on the green carpet of grass. But as soon as she folds her wings, sitting on a tree, thanks to the gray pattern, she completely merges with the bark. The Latin specific epithet for the butterfly Atalanta is taken from Greek mythology, where Atalanta, the heroine of the Calydonian boar hunt, ran faster than all people on Earth. Indeed, butterfly admiral in many parts of its range, it makes huge, many thousand kilometers flights, for example, from Europe to North Africa.
Admiral(lat. Vanessa atalanta) is a diurnal butterfly from the Nymphalidae family. The wingspan reaches 5 - 6.5 cm. The color of the wings is dark brown, sometimes almost black, with bright red stripes and white spots at the apex of the fore wings. A widespread numerous species, the range of which covers extratropical Eurasia, North Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, North America, Guatemala, Haiti and New Zealand... Caterpillars feed mainly on nettles and thistles. The species is an active migrant.
The specific epithet Atalanta ( Greek mythology) goes back to Atalanta - the heroine of the Calydonian boar hunt, who ran faster than all people on Earth. Daughter of the king of Arcadia Iasias (Ias) and Klymene. Her father, wanting to have only sons, threw the girl out on Mount Parthenius, and she was nursed by a bear until Atalanta was picked up by hunters in the forest. There are several versions regarding the origin of the generic name Vanessa. According to one of them, it comes from the female name of the same name. According to another version, the name is consonant with the ancient Greek version of the word "Phanessa", which means a demiurge deity. This version is most likely unlikely. In fact, the name of the deity in the original sounds like "Phanes" (Russian version of Fanet). The name of the genus was given by the Danish entomologist Johann Christian Fabrice, who mainly used the names of ancient deities when naming new taxa. English name insect Red Admiral (red admiral) accurately characterizes the unique coloring of the butterfly.
Fore wing length 26 - 34.5 mm. The wingspan reaches 50 - 65 mm. The body is dark brown or black in color. The upper side of the wings is blackish or dark brown. At the apex of the fore wing, a small tooth is distinguished along the outer edge. The front wings are crossed by a bright orange-red band, above which a large elongated White spot and a chain of five to six spots of various sizes, which are bright white. An elongated blue spot in a black rim is located in the anal corner of the hind wing. On the outer edge of the hind wings, there is a wide orange-red marginal band, on which 4-5 black spots are located. In the posterior corner of the hind wing, there is a double blue speck in the dark rim in the anal corner of the wing.
The underside of the wings is less bright, but more variegated. It is brownish brown with a variety of reddish and white spots and gray streaks. On the bottom of the front fenders, the pattern of the upper side is repeated, which is complemented by blue rings in the central cell. The underside of the hindwings is brownish, with an intricate marbled pattern formed by dark streaks and sinuous lines. There is also a light spot at the anterior edge of the hind wing.
Antennae with sharply widened club. The eyes are covered with numerous small bristles. Outer margin of both wings wavy, with one more prominent projection on the M1 vein on the forewings. A discal vein is present on both wings. The center cell on the rear fenders is closed. Outer edge of hind wing without noticeable projections. The tibiae and tarsi of the forelegs are covered with relatively long, dense hairs.
This butterfly is not only good-looking, but also a great travel lover. Representatives of this species of insects make huge flights from Europe to North Africa in order to lay eggs here and die in the name of the appearance of new offspring. In the spring, already young butterflies go back, despite the fact that many of them are destined to die on the way. However, butterflies living in the southern part of Europe are in no hurry to leave their native places, but wait out the winter in crevices of trees or under the bark. The spring sun makes the butterfly leave its shelter and start preparing for a romantic meeting in order to have time to have offspring.
How long does the admiral butterfly live? V favorable conditions she is a long-liver - the insect lives for 9-10 months. For part of the allotted period, it is in hibernation, it is the presence of diapause that explains its continued existence. The fertilized female hibernates so that next year after waking up, immediately lay eggs. In the North and Central Europe, admirals do not stay in the cold season. They go on a seasonal migration south. It is less noticeable than in summer, when a large number of adults settle in gardens and parks rich in food.
Migrants that appear in summer produce offspring on native plants. Young butterflies fly in July-August. They are not shy; if handled carefully, they can sit on their clothes or hand. It is easy to distinguish between arrived and local admirals by the condition of the wings - the travelers have them shabby and faded. For the wintering period, moths are looking for safe haven where you can hide not only from the cold, but also from enemies. Females hide under the bark of trees, fallen leaves, clog in cracks. During sleep, they run the risk of being eaten by birds or rodents.
General warming of the climate and mild winters led to a change in the behavior of the admiral's butterfly. Not all individuals go to wait out the cold season in hot Africa. Some remain in temperate latitudes. This decision is fully justified, because many insects die while covering distances of thousands of kilometers.
An adult admiral butterfly feeds on nectar, tree juices, fruits and berries. Like all of its relatives, this butterfly goes through several stages of its development. Therefore, the nutrition of a caterpillar hatched from an egg is significantly different from that of a mature individual. The caterpillar wraps a leaf of hop or nettle around its body, protecting itself and at the same time using these leaves as food. The satiated caterpillar gradually turns into a pupa, from which, after a certain period, an adult beauty butterfly flies out.
The forage plants for the admiral's caterpillars include: Carduus sp. - plants from the genus Thistle, Humulus lupulus - Common hops, Urtica dioica - Stinging nettle, Urtica urens - Stinging nettle.
The female butterfly lays one egg on food plants. The mating season for the insect is in the spring. From May to August, a caterpillar develops, the color is noticeable, on the sides there are yellow stripes, various blotches and thorns. They roll up into a tube on the leaves of nettle, thistle, turning into a pupa. The caterpillar makes a protective canopy from the leaves, which it then feeds on. The butterfly emerges from pupae by the end of summer. Two generations of butterflies are usually hatched per year.
Courtship and mating games are characteristic of admirals. During the breeding season, males exhibit territorial behavior. They occupy good areas where the fodder plant grows and drive away competitors. Each has an area of 10 by 20 m. Moths patrol own plot flying around the perimeter. Admirals often circle over the hills to spot and intercept a flying female from afar. The male flies for a partner for a long time, seeking her favor. Mating takes several hours. During this period, insects do not respond to external factors and are in a vulnerable position. Territorial males, aggressively driving away rivals of their species and other butterflies from their area, demonstrate peaceful behavior while feeding on flowers or fruits.
The species is subject to dynamic fluctuations in numbers and in some years is observed in very a large number... He is an active migrant. Populations in the forest belt of Eurasia partially, and in the north of the range entirely, are replenished by migratory individuals from the south. The species is included in the Red Book Smolensk region, was previously included in the Red Book of Russia (1997) (4th category). On the this moment species excluded from the Red Book of Russia.
- The wings are painted in such an unusual way that it cannot be confused with any butterfly in the world. Outwardly, the male and female are very similar to each other.
The range of the daytime peacock's eye covers all of Europe (except for the northernmost regions) and temperate latitudes Asia.
Butterflies hibernate in basements, attics, in caves ... Overwintered individuals fly in March - May, and a new generation appears in July - August.
The butterfly got its name because of the bizarre specks in the lower corner of the wings, which are similar to the shape of an eye. In general, the color of the Peacock's eye changes from bright red to saturated Brown... All this is artistically diluted in black with beautiful patterns and stripes.
There is also a night peacock eye, which differs from its relative in darker colors and brown spots. Its outstretched wings are up to 15 centimeters long. At night, the Peacock's eye is very similar bat rather than a butterfly.
Apollo
Day butterfly, listed in the Red Book. The butterfly is found in the Urals, Siberia and the Caucasus mountains. One of the reasons for this choice of terrain is the feeding habits, Apollo prefers sedum thickets and hare cabbage, which are found mainly in mountainous areas.
The butterfly has a bright, beautiful color, it is clearly visible in open areas. Apollo is easily recognizable by its large wings with black and red spots. Depending on the location of the spots, more than 600 forms of this species are distinguished.
The butterfly can be found from June to August. Apollo flies slowly, imposingly, often gets tired, sits on flowers.
Apollo is a real "sissy", the butterfly needs good conditions external environment, to survive. Bright sun and plenty of food are some of the most essential.
Admiral
Adults white admiral have black wings with white stripes. This color contrast helps to "break" the wing line, thereby camouflaging the butterfly from predators. Their wingspan is approximately 60-65 millimeters. The flight is very interesting, elegant, consisting of short periods swings followed by a long soaring.
Red admiral. It is a well-known brightly colored butterfly. This species constantly lives over warm places, but in the spring it migrates to the north, and in the fall - sometimes - back. This large butterfly is easily distinguished by its bright dark brown with red and black wing patterns. Caterpillars feed on nettle leaves, adults drink nectar from flowers of plants such as buddleia (also called a butterfly bush for this reason) and can feast on overripe fruits.
V northern Europe this is one of the last butterflies that can be seen before the onset of winter: it appears near a dim light and feeds on the nectar of autumn flowers in warm days... The red admiral is also known for the fact that when he hibernates, he becomes darker in color than individuals that have not yet survived the winter. The butterfly can also fly out on sunny winter days, mostly in southern Europe.
Mourning room
Many people had their first childhood impressions of butterflies when they met a large, spectacular, memorable funeral service. And for some future entomologists, these impressions turned out to be so strong that they determined the subsequent choice of a profession.
With predominance dark color on the wings of the funeral service, its names are associated in other languages. So. Americans call her mourning cloak "mourning cloak", and the French - deuil - "mourning", "sorrow". Perhaps this was taken into account by K. Linnaeus, who named the butterfly antiopa in 1758 - after the daughter of the Theban king Niktea, who, even by the standards of ancient Greek myths, had to endure many troubles and sufferings.
“Its dark coffee, shiny, lacquered wings seem velvety due to the abundance of colored dust, and to the very abdomen or body they are covered as if with moss or thin reddish hairs. The edges of the wings, both upper and lower, are edged with a pale yellow, pale yellow, rather wide jagged border, carved with scallops ... and along the pale yellow border, on both wings, bright blue spots are placed ... "S. T. Aksakov
Hives
The specific epithet of the scientific name, urticae, comes from the word urtica (nettle) and is explained by the fact that nettle is one of the food plants of the caterpillars of this species.
Males differ little from females in color. Wings dorsally brick-red, with a number of large black spots, at the costal margin separated by yellow intervals; small white spot at apex of fore wing. The basal half of the hind wing is brownish-brown, the outer half is brick-red; there is a sharp border between these areas. Along the outer edge of the wings, there is a row of crescent-shaped blue spots. The underside of the wings is brownish-brown; across the front wing there is a wide yellowish stripe.
It is found everywhere in Russia, except for the Far North.
Mother-of-pearl
Large mother-of-pearl from the genus Argynnis often fly together and are well distinguishable mainly along the underside of the hind wings. Males of the large forest nacre (A. paphia) with darkening along the longitudinal veins on the front wings, the females are rufous or greenish-gray above. The underside of the hind wings of this species has transverse light bands. The nacreous (A. aglaja) underneath with bright silvery spots, in the nacreous adippa (A. adippe) these spots are dimmer, and along the edge there is a row of eyes. All these species develop on violets.
Large and beautiful mother-of-pearl Daphne (Neobrenthis daphne) is rare in the Baikal region and is listed in the Red Book, but a close species of Nacreous pearl (N. ino) is very commonplace in meadows and glades
Forest mother-of-pearl (male) 
Golubianki
A very large family that includes small butterflies (wingspan 27-28 mm), many of which have a shiny, metallic color. Hallmark blueflies are shortened front legs. Most European bluefishes are blue in color, although males are often brown. Among the bluebirds there are those in which the rear pair of wings has characteristic outgrowths ("tails"), for this they are called "tails." In Russia, there are several hundred species of bluebirds from more than fifty genera. Bluebirds fly through meadows, forest edges and glades. Caterpillars feed on the leaves of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants... Caterpillars of some species pupate in anthills.
Golubian Icarus 
Golubyanka forest or Poluargus 
Belyanki
A family of diurnal butterflies with a predominantly white color of the wings and a pattern of yellow, orange and black spots and fields, with clavate screeds, rounded triangular front and ovoid hind wings.
Cabbage butterfly 
Swallowtail
The great natural scientist Carl Linnaeus named this butterfly after the mythical hero of the Trojan War, the famous doctor Machaon, who relieved the suffering and saved the lives of many wounded soldiers.
Swallowtail is found throughout the country, with the exception of the Far North.
On the bright yellow wings of the swallowtail, blackened veins and a wide black border with wavy inner and serrated outer edges stand out. Along the border there is a band of blue dusting, especially bright on the hind wing, and along the outer edge there is a band of yellow spots-holes. The root area of the forewing is black with yellow dusting. The hind wing is decorated with a bright red rounded spot and a black tail.
The caterpillar is not picky about food: it feeds on plants of the families of the umbrella, rue, Compositae and labiate. The swallowtail hibernates in the pupal stage.
In most of its range, swallowtail gives two generations a year, and only in its most northern regions - one. Butterflies of the first generation fly in May - June, and the second - in July - August.
Sericin montela
Sericin montela is one of the amazing Ussuri relics. The butterfly has been preserved here since ancient times, since the territory of the Primorsky Territory has never been fully glaciated; is rare. The background color of the female's wings is dark brown. Its fore wing is crossed by thin dark-yellow and ocher-yellow bands of various lengths. The flight of these butterflies is very slow, even sluggish. They always keep to thickets of caterpillar fodder plant - kirkazon, growing here and there along the banks of rivers, streams and at the foot of hills.
The wings of the male are white. The pattern of the fore wing is made up of black, mainly elongated spots, as well as darkening along the edge of its apex. The rear wing is decorated more effectively. At its front edge, a red elongated spot in a black frame is usually distinguished. A bright red short sling passes at the posterior corner, to the outer side of which blue spots in a black frame adjoin. The hind wing is completed with a long thin brownish-brown tail.
Maak's tail bearer
This largest diurnal butterfly in Russia surpasses many of its tropical relatives in its beauty. It is hard to believe that the area of distribution of this wonderful sailing ship extends to 54 ° north latitude, where Tynda and northern Sakhalin are located.
The female is larger than the male, her wingspan reaches 135 mm, while that of the male is 125 mm. A green spot spray evenly covers the entire dark brown forewing of the female. The nature of the pattern of its hind wings is the same as that of the male, but its shine is muted, and in the wavy edge border, along with green-blue, red-violet shades appear. Females are much more variable than males. It is difficult to find two identical butterflies among them.
A significant part of the black forewing of the male shimmers with a green dotted coating, which, closer to the edge, thickens into a sparse emerald-blue border. The area, free from green dusting, shines with magical black silk: it is covered with the finest and most delicate odorous black hairs - androconia. Hind wings with wavy edge and long tails shine, shimmering, blue-green ornament
Two generations of P. maackii appear annually: spring butterflies are medium-sized, light and bright, and summer ones are twice as large and darker.
The tail bearer Maaka lives in the Middle Amur region, Primorye, North Korea, Manchuria, on Kuril Islands... In these places, butterflies are often found in broadleaf and mixed forests, less often - in spruce and fir. They also fly into taiga villages. During the period when subalpine plants are blooming, butterflies rise to the mountains up to 2000 m above sea level: looking for food, they fly around treeless peaks in a circle.
Sometimes in Primorye one can observe how this huge dark butterfly, like a bird, rushes over the forest road, majestically flapping its powerful wings. On hot days, dozens of tail bearers sit around the roadside puddles, fluttering with flashing emerald greens and blue wings. Disturbed, they fly up like a dark cloud, from which rain drops of water golden under the sun, shaken off by butterflies. An unforgettable, fabulous sight!
Oleander hawk
In coloring oleander hawk moth- one of the most beautiful not only in Russia, but also in the world - bright grassy green colors prevail. Therefore, it is very difficult to see him when he is sitting in foliage or grass.
The vast area of distribution of the oleander hawk moth includes all of Africa, India and the countries of the Middle East lying between them. There are reports that they even made it to Hawaii. In the tropics, butterflies fly all year round. From Africa and the Middle East, butterflies penetrate into southern Europe, they live on the European continent and to the north. In Russia, they are most often found on Black sea coast Caucasus. The further north you go, the less often they appear, although occasionally these wonderful flyers can be seen in the Baltic States and on the Kola Peninsula.
The main food plants for caterpillars are oleander, periwinkle, and grapevine; they can also feed on some other plants.
The narrow front fenders are adorned with an intricate pattern of intricately curved green and mauve stripes of various shades. The hindwings are lilac-gray with a green wide outer margin. The color and pattern of the wings are harmoniously combined with the coloring of the butterfly's body.
Butterflies ... These delightful creatures have inspired artists and poets at all times. They fascinate with their beauty and lightness. You can probably watch for hours the flight of butterflies, the flutter of their delicate wings and smooth movement. Some types of butterflies are often found in our latitudes and therefore seem completely familiar and less attractive. But there are hundreds of thousands of species of butterflies in the world.
In Japan, they say: "To see a butterfly in your home is fortunate!"
The most beautiful butterflies
It is impossible to give a single answer to the question, which of the butterflies is the most beautiful. Each of them is unique and good in its own way. But, of course, a surprise gift in the form of bright, colorful butterflies can fill the room with magic! Choose and buy butterflies by low prices it is possible on this site with delivery in Moscow. Such a gift will be unforgettable! I wonder which butterflies are regularly included in the lists of the most beautiful? Below will be presented the most beautiful butterflies in the world with names, as well as photos of beautiful rare butterflies.
Butterfly Prince
This insect is considered the largest night butterfly... Its front wings are curved in such a way that they imitate the head of a snake, which scares off enemies. This natural feature allows the insect to survive. Such coloring of a human butterfly, of course, does not frighten, but rather delights. Indeed, what an inventive nature can be!
The peculiarity of these butterflies is that their mouth apparatus is not developed at all. "How do they eat?" - many will think. The thing is that they live only one to two weeks and exist due to the processing of fat reserves accumulated in the cocoon.
Another name for the butterfly Prince - Peacock Eye Atlas Butterfly Birdwing
This butterfly also reaches a large size, but it is active during the day, which is why it is called daytime. The insect got such an interesting name due to its amplitude, like a bird's wingspan, which can reach 32 cm.
The birdwing is considered one of the most rare species butterflies. He lives only in the small town of New Guinea. Because of this, the Birdwing is a valuable piece for many collectors.
The wings of the Birdwing male shine blue and green, outwardly even somewhat resembling the leaves of tropical plants. But the females are less bright, their wings are painted in black, cream and yellowish colors.
Another name for this butterfly is Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, named after his wife English king Edward VII Urania butterfly
This colorful tropical butterfly lives in Madagascar. Urania has a truly wondrous color. Some parts of the wings are colored black with pigment; colorless scales lie between them. These scales refract light, making the butterflies appear colored and change color from what angle you look at them.
In Madagascar Urania, orange, red and purple colors... Interestingly, the pattern on the wings may not be symmetrical, due to the influence external factors at the pupal stage.
The most beautiful Urania was recognized by the international scientific congress Butterfly Greta
Translated into Russian, the name of this butterfly sounds like "glass". This name is absolutely justified, because its wings are transparent, as if made of glass, and only along the periphery are bordered with a black-brown ribbon. This insect is found in Central and South America. It is believed that the butterfly is very common in this region, but it is not at all easy to spot it, because it is almost transparent. This is an excellent disguise that allows butterflies to hide from predators.
Butterfly Greta Oto is poisonous for predators, therefore they are in no hurry to feast on it Callima butterfly
Callima can be found in the tropics of Asia and Africa. This type of butterfly is, first of all, interesting for the unusual contour of its wings. The upper wings of the butterflies are painted in stripes of black, orange and blue, flowing harmoniously into each other.
But how bright they are during flight, they become so invisible when they sit on foliage and fold their wings. The thing is that the back surface of the wings is painted in a greenish color, which allows Callims to disguise themselves so well as foliage.
Callima butterflies are also called leaflets. Its wings when folded resemble the contours of a leaf. Butterfly Parides Arcas
These are butterflies from the sailfish family, medium in size. The body and wings of the insect are black, with scarlet and blue spots. These are very active butterflies that will fly around the room, and when they sit down somewhere, they will continue to open and close their wings. Amazing, fragile creatures, capable of captivating anyone with their beauty!
This butterfly is common from Mexico to Peru. Blue morpho butterfly
This butterfly is of medium size, its wingspan is usually no more than fifteen millimeters. But she captivated people not by these parameters, but by her amazing beauty. The wing scales are located in a special way, reflecting the sun's rays, making it seem as if the butterfly is glowing.
When the insect sits, it seems that the wings of its rich blue with a black border. But in fact, this is not the true color of the butterfly, but a play of light. When the butterfly flies, it shimmers under the sun's rays in different colors, then purple, then greenish. Such is the amazing blue Morpho butterfly.
Another name for this butterfly is the Morpho Peleid butterfly, in honor of Greek hero, son of Pelea and Thetis Peacock Butterfly
Peacock Eye lives in Europe, and also subtropical zone Eurasia. They are especially common in Germany. As you might guess, this type of butterflies received such a name thanks to outward resemblance with coloring peacock feathers. The butterfly's body is colored black. But the wings are colored orange-brown with characteristic blue colored eyes. Miracle butterfly peacock!
The Latin name of this butterfly, Inachis io, comes from the names of King Inach and the daughter of Io, the heroes of ancient Greek mythology. Maak's sailboat
This butterfly is also called the Blue Swallowtail. In the male, most of the front wing is green, even emerald pollination. Part of the wing shimmers in deep black. The females of the Maak Sailboat have more varied colors, it is even considered that there are no two identical butterflies in the world. It is a rather large daytime butterfly, its wings can reach thirteen centimeters.
It is the largest diurnal butterfly found in the Russian Federation. Butterfly Hypolimnas bolina
Gipoliminas bolina live in South-East Asia as well as Australia. These small butterflies are often called tiaras because of the bright blue, red and white tints of the wings, like the diamonds in the crown shimmer.
If you look at the butterfly from above, its wings are black, lighter on the outer edge. Males have white spots on their wings, which, when exposed to sunlight, shimmer with a purple color.
Butterfly Hypolimnas bolina is also called lunar. How many days do butterflies live at home?
It is certainly very pleasant to receive butterflies as a gift. But I really want these wonderful creatures to delight with their beauty as long as possible! How many days do butterflies live at home? On average, life expectancy ranges from a few days to several weeks. This of course depends on the type of butterfly, but also on the conditions in which they live. How to properly care for butterflies?
At night, butterflies are best placed in a box with holes made. And to maintain moisture at the bottom of the box, you can put a cotton swab dipped in water. - The comfortable temperature for the existence of butterflies is +20 degrees.
- Most butterflies love moisture, so you need to spray the insect with a spray bottle several times a day. It is enough to make one or two presses at a distance of 20-30 centimeters.
- Butterflies can fly around the room, sit down where it is convenient for them. But if you want to take it, take it by the little body, at the base of the wings. Remember, these are very fragile creatures.
- Butterflies feed on sugar syrup, crushed bananas or citrus fruits. It is enough to feed the butterfly once a day. To do this, gently take the insect by the body and place it with its paws on the edge of the saucer with the prepared delicacy. When the butterfly feels the delicacy, it will spread its proboscis and begin to eat.
Further
Live tropical butterflies - an unforgettable magical gift
Buy live butterflies: 4 options for decorating a gift
Several tips for catching butterflies and keeping them at home
Decorative butterflies as a gift - an original idea for a celebration
Top 10 most amazing butterflies in the world
