Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Butterfly

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are prominent for their curious life cycle with a larval caterpillar period, an immobile pupal stage, and a impressive metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they habitually attract attention. The varied patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their unreliable yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a fairly popular hobby.

Butterflies encompass the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (Superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (Superfamily Hedyloidea). Butterflies reveal polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Some are known to voyage over large distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and sponging relationships with social insects such as ants. Butterflies are vital cheaply as one of the major agents of pollination. In addition, a number of species are pests, because they can damage domestic crops and trees.

No comments: