Some butterflies have designs. One type of
butterfly is called the 88 Butterfly. On its back wings, it has
'88' written on it.
The world's largest butterfly is the Queen
Alexandra's bird wing. The wingspan of the female measures up
to 28cm (11 in). It is found in New Guinea.
Butterflies' and moth's wings are made of
tiny scales. They overlap like tiles on a roof.
Monarch butterflies in North America can
fly 6000km (3750 miles).
A clouded yellow butterfly comes in to land
on a thistle. Butterfly flight is more controlled, than it looks.
The insect is able to change course instantly and make sudden
landings.
Butterflies feed through a tube called a
proboscis. When the proboscis not in use it is all coiled up.
Some insects use their antennae to look at
things, but the butterfly uses it antennae to sniff nectar.
The monarch butterfly spends the night quite
still on a tree trunk. It wakes early in the morning. Its orange
and black wings are covered in dew. It unfolds them slowly to
let them dry.
Monarch butterflies can fly as high as 3500m,
to get over the Rocky mountains.
Ten million Monarchs spend the winter in
only one hectare of forest in Mexico.
A monarch doesn't live longer than a year.
Very few complete the return migration journey.
The monarch butterfly may have been named
after a king or queen with an orange and black coat of arms.
Today, the monarch butterfly still gets the royal treatment and
it is a protected species in North America.
Butterflies migrate in a straight line.
The small tortoiseshell migrates to find
nettles or willow leaves where it lays its eggs.
The clouded yellow butterfly from Africa
is a great migrant and can come as far as Britain.
