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All About Butterflies- Activities and Resources for Kids

Butterflies are one of the most well known and appreciated types of insect. Their colorful and beautifully patterned wings make them a favorite of children and insect enthusiasts everywhere. In this post I share some fun facts about butterflies, instructions for a butterfly metamorphosis craft, and lots of resources for learning all about butterflies. 



Grab a free butterfly lifecycle coloring sheet here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Lifecycle-Coloring-Sheet-7903680


Fun Facts About Butterflies

The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing. It has a wingspan of nearly 12 inches! 

The western pygmy is the world's smallest butterfly, with a wingspan of about 1/2 an inch.

There are over 17,000 species of butterflies worldwide and butterflies can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Each fall the North American monarchs travel as far as 3,000 miles from their summer breeding grounds to their overwintering locations in Mexico and California.

Butterflies and moths belong to the insect order Lepidoptera.

Some butterflies can taste with their feet!


Butterfly or Moth?

There are over 17,000 species of butterflies worldwide and over 150,000 species of moths. Some of the differences between butterflies and moths include:

When resting butterflies typically fold their wings back, moths typically rest with their wings open.

Moths typically have feathery antennae while butterflies do not.

Butterflies are active during the day and moths are active at night.

Moths tend to be thicker bodied and furry. Butterflies are slender bodied and have very little hair or fur.

Butterfly caterpillars form a hard outer shell called a chrysalis during their final molt which they pupate inside of. Moth caterpillars pupate inside a cocoon they make out of silk they secrete.


 

Butterfly Anatomy

Butterflies have 3 body segments- a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. They have 3 pairs of legs, 2 pairs of wings, and 1 pair of antenna. Butterflies have compound eyes and a specialized mouth part called a proboscis for extracting nectar from flowers.



Cocoon or Chrysalis?

The terms cocoon and chrysalis are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two different things. Moths spin a cocoon out of silk which they then pupate inside of. Butterflies do not make cocoons. Butterflies molt to reveal an exoskeleton like coating called a chrysalis that they pupate inside of. 

They both serve the same function, to protect the pupa during the metamorphosis process, but they are made very differently. A moth caterpillar physically builds a cocoon. A butterfly caterpillar does not, its chrysalis is actually a part of the insect.


How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly 


Most of us know the basics of how caterpillars become butterflies. Tiny caterpillars hatch out of tiny eggs laid on leaves. The caterpillars eat and eat and grow and grow. Then they
molt into a chrysalis and emerge later as a butterfly. But what exactly happens inside the cocoon or chrysalis?

First the caterpillar releases a digestive enzyme that liquefies its body. If you were to open a chrysalis at this point, you would find caterpillar soup. Small sacs of cells called imaginal discs survive the digestive enzyme. These specialized groups of cells then use the high protein "caterpillar soup" to drive rapid cell division, forming all the parts of an adult butterfly.

When the metamorphosis process is complete, the butterfly uses its legs and abdomen to push against the chrysalis, splitting it open and finally emerging. The butterfly unfolds its wings by expelling fluid from its abdomen into the wings. Then the butterfly waits for its wings to harden and then it is ready to fly away.


Butterfly Metamorphosis Craft

I put together this simple craft to help teach my 3 year old about the butterfly lifecycle. 

For this craft you will need:
-a toilet paper roll 
-a green crayon or marker
-a stapler
-a coffee filter
-watercolor paints
-a paint brush
-a clothespin 
-round beads or pompoms
-pipe cleaner (optional)
-green tissue paper (optional)

Start by gluing some beads or pompoms down the length of one side of the clothes pin.


Set it aside to dry and grab the watercolors and a coffee filter. Paint the coffee filter with bright colors, it will become your butterfly's wings. Set it aside to dry too.


Color the toilet paper roll green with a crayon or marker. Close one end by either gluing a green piece of tissue paper over it, or stapling it shut. This will be your chrysalis.


Once your coffee filter is dry, fold it accordion style, like a paper fan. Now you can clip your coffee filter wings inside your clothespin caterpillar to make it into a butterfly.



You can add antennas by sticking a small piece of pipe cleaner, folded in two, into the hole in the bead at the top of your caterpillar. If you used pompoms, you will have to glue your antennas in place instead.

Use your finished craft for acting out the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Start with your clothespin caterpillar without the wings and then have it go into the chrysalis. Clip its wings on, and your caterpillar can emerge as a butterfly!


Additional Activity Ideas

Butterfly identification- do a little research about butterflies common in your area so you can try to identify butterflies you come across on your outdoor adventures. A pocket guide or an wildlife ID app can be helpful. I personally love the iNaturalist app.

Raise caterpillars- learn more about the metamorphosis process by raising caterpillars. You can order kits here: https://www.insectlore.com/collections/butterflies-butterfly-kits-with-live-caterpillars.


Videos About Butterflies

Pipevine Swallowtail Lifecycle - This is an awesome timelapse video of the entire pipevine swallowtail lifecycle!





Butterfly: A Life from National Geographic 


Additional Resources 



Caterpillar to Butterfly STEM Activity  from The Educators Spin On It

The Butterfly Lifecycle! From National Geographic Kids


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