PKCaptSun
Head Administrator
Registered: 10-2008
Posts: 2875
Karma: 7 (+11/-4)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Butterfly Facts
I was sitting around and thinking of topics to add when I got the idea to add a place for basic butterfly facts and trivia. Here are a few to get started. I'll add more as time goes on.
They evolved between 110-245 million years ago.
There are an estimated 12-15,000 species worldwide.
There are more than 700 species native to the US and Canada.
There are nearly 500 species native to my home state of Texas.
There are visual records of butterflies as old as 3500 years at Thebes (Egypt).
For additional butterfly information visit my website. It is a work in progress but already has quite a bit of information available.
http://wingsofwonder.homestead.com/index.html
PKCaptSun
--- BOTM Winner Dec 2008 Aug 2009
PKCaptSun |
|
12/28/2008, 12:17 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to PKCaptSun
Send PM to PKCaptSun
MSN
Yahoo
|
Queenyforever
Registered user
Registered: 01-2007
Location: Just north of the clouds...
Posts: 2381
Karma: 1 (+3/-2)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
WOW! I did not know any of those. AMAZING, when you think of how delicate they are!
---
“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
|
|
12/28/2008, 12:28 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Queenyforever
Send PM to Queenyforever
Blog
|
PKCaptSun
Head Administrator
Registered: 10-2008
Posts: 2875
Karma: 7 (+11/-4)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
Butterflies are indeed one of nature's miracles. I have all sorts of things that I have learned about them just in the last year. The estimates of when they evolved do vary from source to source that I've read though. Here are a few more.
The order of Lepidoptera includes all moths and butterflies.
Lepidoptera means scaly wings, referring to the scales that cover the wings of butterflies and moths.
There are an estimated 170,000 species of Lepidoptera in the world. Roughly 10% of these are butterflies.
Antarctica is the only continent with no forms of Lepidoptera.
80% of butterflies are found in the tropics.
PKCaptSun
--- BOTM Winner Dec 2008 Aug 2009
PKCaptSun |
|
12/28/2008, 1:28 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to PKCaptSun
Send PM to PKCaptSun
MSN
Yahoo
|
Pastor Rick
Administrator
Registered: 07-2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 97
Karma: 2 (+2/-0)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
I found something 
quote:
Sadly, fossil records are very limited and the oldest know fossil is of an unnamed species, found in Fur, Denmark. However, it is believed that this fossil belongs a Skipper Butterfly, and is thought to date back to 57 million years ago. ~ source link
|
|
12/28/2008, 4:46 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Pastor Rick
Send PM to Pastor Rick
Blog
|
Pastor Rick
Administrator
Registered: 07-2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 97
Karma: 2 (+2/-0)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
The Mutant Butterfly!
quote:
How can a Real Butterfly Glow?
The African butterfly (Bicyclus anynana) is known for having natural reflective wing patterns. As if that wasn't enough, American scientists and researchers have created the first glowing butterfly by inserting jellyfish marker genes, which have bioluminescence traits making them fluorescent, into the DNA of the African butterfly making it glow luminous green in the pitch dark. Scientists say this experiment to create these mutant butterflies was done to understand how wing patterns emerged in butterflies. ~ source link
|
|
12/28/2008, 4:59 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Pastor Rick
Send PM to Pastor Rick
Blog
|
PKCaptSun
Head Administrator
Registered: 10-2008
Posts: 2875
Karma: 7 (+11/-4)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
If you use the Smithsonian Handbook "Butterflies and Moths" as a reference it states that moths evolved between 100-140 million years ago according to fossil records. Butterflies are supposed to have evolved about 40 million years ago.
I found my initial information online.
PKCaptSun
--- BOTM Winner Dec 2008 Aug 2009
PKCaptSun |
|
12/28/2008, 9:31 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to PKCaptSun
Send PM to PKCaptSun
MSN
Yahoo
|
Queenyforever
Registered user
Registered: 01-2007
Location: Just north of the clouds...
Posts: 2381
Karma: 1 (+3/-2)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
That is still absolutely amazing! 
And I'll bet fossilized Lepidoptera are quite rare, due to the nature of they're body form.
---
“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
|
|
12/29/2008, 9:05 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Queenyforever
Send PM to Queenyforever
Blog
|
PKCaptSun
Head Administrator
Registered: 10-2008
Posts: 2875
Karma: 7 (+11/-4)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
I would imagine that the best chance is to find one trapped in amber as with most insects. Better watch out for the science geeks or we'll be seeing the next blockbuster movie, "The Jurassic Skipper That Ate Texas."
PKCaptSun
--- BOTM Winner Dec 2008 Aug 2009
PKCaptSun |
|
12/29/2008, 12:32 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to PKCaptSun
Send PM to PKCaptSun
MSN
Yahoo
|
Queenyforever
Registered user
Registered: 01-2007
Location: Just north of the clouds...
Posts: 2381
Karma: 1 (+3/-2)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
 Oh my....that would be just horrible!!! All that 'wing dust' would choke us off....
---
“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
|
|
12/30/2008, 8:45 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Queenyforever
Send PM to Queenyforever
Blog
|
PKCaptSun
Head Administrator
Registered: 10-2008
Posts: 2875
Karma: 7 (+11/-4)
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Butterfly Facts
There would also be tongue lashings from its mighty proboscis.
--- BOTM Winner Dec 2008 Aug 2009
PKCaptSun |
|
12/30/2008, 9:31 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to PKCaptSun
Send PM to PKCaptSun
MSN
Yahoo
|
