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The Crooked Garden
10.25.08
What
is a Butterfly?
Butterflies
are members of the
insect order Lepidoptera, a
word that describes the presence
of scales on their wings. It is
derived from the Greek word
lepis, for scale, and pteron,
for wing. Butterflies, like other
insects, have segmented bodies
divided into three major parts:
head, thorax, and abdomen.
Every butterfly has four stages to
it's life: egg, caterpillar (larva),
chrysalis (pupa or cocoon),
and adult.
The time spent in each
stage varies
with butterfly species.
The gradual
passage through the
four stages is
known as
metamorphosis. The
cycle begins
as the female lays her
eggs on the
appropriate plant.
(The
preceding
Butterfly description courtesy of the Alata Chapter of the
North American
Butterfly Association)
(Color butterfly-caterpillar logo courtesy of
MonarchWatch.org
website)
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