How it went: It was mostly a lazy day, but the kids asked me to read this book, so I did. It's a pretty cute book too!
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Butterflies and Moths by Jim Arnosky
Concepts Covered:
- Butterflies and moths are among the most numerous of insects
- In the Order of insects called lepidoptera
- Lepidoptera means scaled wings
- Scales rub off like powder
- Microscopic scales give wings color
- Anatomy
- Antennae
- Moths have feathery antennae
- Forewing
- Hindwing
- Head
- Thorax
- Abdomen
- Butterflies rest with wings upright
- Moths rest with wings folded down
- Monarchs are most recognized with orange and black pattern
- Viceroy butterfly resembles monarch (it's a bit smaller)
- Other butterflies
- White Admiral
- Red Admiral
- Zebra Longwing
- Diana
- Mourning Cloak
- California Sister
- Have to approach butterflies slowly to get close
- Swallowtails have little tails on their wings
- Zebra Swallowtail
- Tiger Swallowtail
- Black Swallowtail
- If you wait until a butterfly lands and starts to feed, you can get close
- When sipping nectar, butterflies don't pay attention to much else
- Sip nectar through proboscis, long hollow tube
- Proboscis can be unfurled to reach deep in a flower
- Common wildflowers that butterflies like
- Queen Anne's Lace
- Clover
- Milkweed
- Thistle
- Caterpillars like plant leaves
- Butterfly begins life as a caterpillar
- Change from a caterpillar to butterfly is called metamorphosis
- Life Cycle of Butterfly
- Egg
- Hatches into a caterpillar (larva)
- Caterpillar eats green leaves
- Grows fast
- When grown it curls up and forms a hard shelled case around it - chrysalis
- Inside Chrysalis the caterpillar changes into a butterfly
- When the time is right the butterfly breaks out, unfurls wings and flies away
- Caterpillar types shown
- Monarch
- California Sister
- Black Swallowtail
- Zebra Longwing
- Not all Butterflies are big and boldly patterned, but rather small and soft, pastel shades
- Yellow, Blue, Copper, White
- Orange Bordered Blue
- Cloudless Sulphur
- Purplish Copper
- Cabbage White
- Alfalfa Butterfly
- Dogface Butterfly
- Acadian Hairstreak
- Common Blue
- Butterflies with Mottled or Checkered Patterns
- Checkerspot
- Painted Lady
- Checkered Skipper
- Crescentspot
- Most butterflies like sunny open places
- Some butterflies like the woods
- Brown Elfins
- Wood Satyrs
- Woodland butterflies are mostly brown and gray
- Have to look harder for them
- Butterflies are day fliers
- Moths fly at night
- Moths are attracted to light (we don't know why)
- Types
- Cutworm Moth
- Dried Leaf Moth
- Maple Spanworm Moth
- Gypsy Moth
- During the day, Moths sleep on trees or brush camoflaged against bark
- Moths have the same life cycle as butterflies, starting as eggs and hatching as caterpillars
- Isabella Moths are better known as Woolly Bear Caterpillars
- Geometer Moths are better known as Inchworm Caterpillars
- Moth Caterpillars (depending on species) eat plant leaves, stems, fruit, grain, flour, and clothes
- Moths feed on nectar as adults
- Some moths are known for their size
- Big Poplar Sphinx Moth
- Polyphemus Moth
- Luna Moth
- Regal Moth
- Cecropia Moth
- Underwing Moths are hard to find when at rest because their closed forewings are completely camoflaged
- But when they spread their wings, you see a colorful underwing
- Sweatheart underwing
- Some moths aren't night fliers
- Forester Moth
- Ctenucha Moth
- Hummingbird Moth
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