Caterpillars

Poplar Admiral, One of Earth’s Biggest Butterflies

Poplar Admiral (Limenitis populi) butterflies. Image via Wikipedia

Poplar Admiral (Limenitis populi) butterflies were once native to much of Europe and many parts in Asia. Now they are very rarely seen.

Size and Markings

Poplar Admiral butterflies are big! They are some of the largest butterflies in Europe.

The wingspread of male Poplar Admirals can be from 2.6 inches (6.6 cm) to 3 inches (7.7 cm). The females can be even larger: from 3.22 inches (8.2 cm) to 3.34 inches (8.5 cm).

The upper wing surface is dark brown with white spots. The white stripe is surrounded by orange and blue borders.

Female Poplar Admirals have distinct broad white lines over their back wings. The males either lack the lines or have lines that are narrower and fainter.

Notice the difference in markings between the male (top) and female (bottom) in the illustration on the right.

The underside of the wings is light, orange (darker and less yellowish than in the illustration).

Where to Find Them

Poplar Admirals In Europe, they live in deciduous forests of aspen (Populus tremula) or black poplar (Populus nigra) trees grow because the caterpillars eat the leaves of only tree species. (more…)

Tags: poplar admiral, Poplar Admiral butterfly, European butterflies, Asian butterflies, poplar admiral one of earth8217s biggest butterflies, aspen forests, black poplar, limenitis populi ussuriensis, female poplar admirals

Reasons to Buy Live Butterfly Kits

Apr 18th, 2011

by ButterflyLover.

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MATURE CATERPILLAR FEEDING ON SWAMP MILKWEED Image via Wikipedia

The butterfly kits are made from mesh and so there is no way the caterpillar or butterfly will be able to get out on its own. Kids would therefore be able to get as close to the butterflies as they wish and take in their real and natural beauty.

It is also a great project to keep kids occupied during the winter months when they do not have many places to go and can become bored very quickly. Having a live butterfly kit at home would mean they have something real to look forward to after school, rather than just be sat in front of the television.

There are a number of sizes of butterfly kits available, and so you should think carefully about what sort of project you are after. All the packs will provide you with a batch of caterpillars, enough food to keep them growing properly, a mesh cage and easy instructions that even your child will be able to follow with no problem. (more…)

Tags: butterfly kit, life cycle of the butterfly, mesh enclosure, butterfly kits, mesh cage

Gardening to Magnetize Them Gorgeous Butterflies into Your Backyard

Apr 9th, 2011

by ButterflyLover.

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Image via Wikipedia

Make your plot butterfly-friendly to attract colour and development into the landscaping while aiding the pollination of flowers, fruit, and vegetable plants.

Regrettably that urbanization and other change are shrinking butterflies’ natural environment, leaving less places to feed, mate, and lay eggs. Allow me to share some tricks to reverse this pattern.

Butterfly gardens do not need to be large. It is possible to grow plants in containers on the patio as well as in hanging pots and window boxes.

Butterflies need the sun to maintain the body temperature up, so position your garden in the sunniest location achievable.

The important thing to attracting butterflies is to supply them with lots of nectar sources; additionally prefer to take advantage of open, tube-shape flowers.

All butterflies start out as caterpillars that require host plants to feed on. Many of these are native plants-weeds and wildflowers which could be growing on or near your house. Some good choices of plants include clovers, milkweeds, and violets. (more…)

Tags: attracting butterflies, nectar sources, pollination of flowers, Butterfly Gardening, butterfly farms

How to Entice Butterflies to your Garden

Feb 24th, 2011

by ButterflyLover.

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A Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on Buddleja.

Image via Wikipedia

How to entice butterflies to your garden is fun and simple too. Butterflies are easy to entice to your garden if you plant a garden where the caterpillar (pupa step) has plants to eat and then the butterfly has flowers from which to sip nectar.

Butterfly gardens are simple to plant and will provide you and your friends and family a chance to peek butterflies in their natural environment.

The basics are an open space with tons of sunshine and a location that is not windy. Choose a spot with lots of sunlight with a few rocks or stones that can warm up on which the butterflies will bask in the afternoon sun.

Strive to locate your garden close to hedges or shrubs that will aid in shielding them from the hardy winds. If it is too windy, the butterflies won’t stay around for any length of time.

The hedge or shrub needs to develop food for the caterpillar. You can find out what the caterpillar likes best from your Nursery Garden Center. (more…)

Tags: sip nectar, nectar sources, plants butterflies like, mud puddles, attracting butterflies, Butterfly Gardening

Gardening to Magnetize Those Attractive Butterflies into Your Garden

Feb 19th, 2011

by ButterflyLover.

No comments yet

Painted Lady, Vanessa Cardui (also known as Cynthia Cardui). Image by Reini68 via Flickr

Make your backyard butterfly-friendly to draw color and development into the landscaping while aiding the pollination of flowers, fruit, and vegetable plants. Sorry to say that urbanization and other change are shrinking butterflies’ natural habitat, leaving less places to feed, mate, and lay eggs. Allow me to share some tricks to overturn that trend.

Butterfly gardens do not need to be large. It is easy to grow plants in containers on a patio or maybe in hanging baskets and window boxes. Butterflies need the sun to maintain the body temperature up, so place your garden in the sunniest location achievable. The key to attracting butterflies in to the garden is to supply them with lots of nectar sources; they also prefer to take advantage of open, tube-shaped blooms. (more…)

Tags: Butterfly Gardening, attracting butterflies, nectar sources, pollination of flowers, butterfly farms

What Do Butterflies Eat?

Feb 24th, 2010

by GuestBlogger.

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Image via Wikipedia

By Piedro Molinero

When flirting with butterfly gardening, it is good to know a little bit more about these small and beautiful animals you want to attract to your backyard. To know which flowers and plants to grow for feeding butterflies, their eating habits are from particular interest for starting a butterfly garden.

As you probably already know, butterflies go through different life cycles. All butterflies life cycle starts as an egg, then it turns into a caterpillar, afterwards it becomes a pupa and in the end it comes out as a butterfly.

Most of its eating during all these butterfly stages, this creature does when it is a caterpillar. For some types of butterflies, this caterpillar stage is the only time in its whole life when it will ever eat. (more…)

Tags: what butterflies eat, Butterfly food, butterfly stages, what caterpillars eat, caterpillar stage

Butterflies and Caterpillars

Sep 30th, 2009

by Kathleen.

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Monarch butterfly caterpillar on butterflyweed

Monarch butterfly caterpillar. Image by Martin LaBar via Flickr

Butterflies

Butterflies are very colorful and intricate creatures that flutter freely among the beautiful flowers and shrubs on warm days. There are many varieties of butterflies, but the most colorful and popular is the Monarch. The butterfly has one of the most unique life cycles of any creature on Earth. Each one goes through a variety of physical changes, starting out as only an egg and ending as a beautiful butterfly.

A butterfly may lay a single egg or several. It depends on the type of butterfly and the nutrition she has had prior to conceiving. The better health a butterfly is in, the more eggs she will lay at a time. The eggs are laid on various food plants, in areas that are well hidden to protect them from the elements and predators. Most eggs will hatch in approximately ten days, with a small green caterpillar emerging from it. The eggs shell serves as the very first meal for these young caterpillars.

It is amazing just how much food a small caterpillar can consume on a daily basis. The jaws of a caterpillar are very powerful and it is not picky when it comes to nibbling on a variety of foods and plants. Most anything that is edible will be consumed by a caterpillar. As it grows larger, the caterpillar will shed its skin. This will take place several times in its life as a caterpillar.

After a caterpillar has become fully grow, it will enter the next stage of life called pupation. During this time the caterpillar spins a silk pad and then hangs upside down from it. A hormone in the caterpillar begins to make physical changes take place. The caterpillar will remain in this state for approximately two weeks. What emerges is a beautiful butterfly with wings ready to continue life in this new form.

Regardless of the species of butterfly, each one lives a very remarkable life featuring dramatic changes that very few creatures go through. The metamorphous of a butterfly from a caterpillar that hatched from an egg is an unbelievable spectacle to observe. It does make you stop and watch in awe as this new life form emerges.

Butterflies are very colorful and intricate creatures that flutter freely among the beautiful flowers and shrubs on warm days. There are many varieties of butterflies, but the most colorful and popular is the Monarch.

The butterfly has one of the most unusual life cycles of any creature on Earth. Each one goes through a variety of physical changes, starting out as only an egg and ending as a beautiful butterfly.

A butterfly may lay a single egg or several. It depends on the type of butterfly and the nutrition she has had prior to conceiving. The better health a butterfly is in, the more eggs she will lay at a time. The eggs are laid on various food plants, in areas that are well hidden to protect them from the elements and predators.

Most eggs will hatch in approximately ten days, and a small green caterpillar will emerge from each one. The eggshell serves as the very first meal for these young caterpillars.

It is amazing just how much food a small caterpillar can consume every day. The jaws of a caterpillar are very powerful, and they are not picky when it comes to nibbling on a variety of foods and plants.

Most anything that is edible will be consumed by a caterpillar. As it grows larger, the caterpillar sheds its skin. This will happen several times in its life as a caterpillar.

After a caterpillar has become fully grow, it will enter the next stage of life called pupation. During this time the caterpillar spins a silk pad and then hangs upside down from it. A hormone in the caterpillar begins to make physical changes take place.

The caterpillar will remain in the chrysalis for approximately two weeks. What emerges is a beautiful butterfly with wings ready to continue life in this new form.

Regardless of the species of butterfly, each one lives a very remarkable life, featuring dramatic changes that very few creatures go through. The metamorphosis of a butterfly from a caterpillar that hatched from an egg is an unbelievable spectacle to observe. It does make you stop and watch in awe as this new life form emerges.