Cool Facts and Resources

Facts

1. Butterflies can see red, yellow, and green.
2. Butterflies are nearsighted.
3. The top butterfly flight speed is 12 miles per hour, the top moth flight speed is 25 miles per hour.
4. Monarch butterflies journey from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico (2,000 miles) and return to the North in the spring.
5. Butterflies need an ideal body temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit to fly. Air temperature of 82-100 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred, anything less than 55 degrees Fahrenheit renders a butterfly immobile. 
6. Some case moths (psychidae) build a permanent case made of silk and plants or soil that they carry with them.
7. Some butterflies mimic other species of butterflies to avoid predators. 
8. Females of some moth species do not have wings, therefore they crawl.
9. The Morgan's Sphinx moth from Madagascar has a proboscis of 12-14 inches long to acquire nectar from the bottom of the Darwin's Orchid, a story of co-evolution.
10. Butterflies taste with their feet.
11. There are more species of insects on one tropical rain forest tree than there are in the state of Vermont.
12. YOU can eat (most) bugs because they are protein-rich and nutritious.

Links

1. Washington state fish and wildlife butterfly page
2. Butterflies and Moths- an online resource for common species and other information
3. List of the common name and latin name of plants that attract butterflies
4. Butterfly ID pdf (provided by Pacific Science Center)
5. Washington Butterfly Association