Frequently Asked Questions, Answers And Fascinating Facts About Butterflies And Moths – Part 2
Do butterflies migrate?
Yes, some butterflies do migrate. Many butterflies that spend the summer in temperate North America cannot survive the cold northern winters. Each year, as the weather becomes cooler, many butterflies can be found moving southward in groups of thousands. Cloudless Sulphurs, Mourning Cloaks, Question Marks, Queens and Monarchs are among them. Exactly where all of these butterflies go is not known.
In early spring a reverse migration takes place. Butterflies from Mexico and the southern United States fly north. For most of these species the northward dispersals are gradual, but, in especially good years, one can see Painted Ladies, Cloudless Sulphurs or Clouded Skippers streaming northward along migratory routes.
Monarchs are the most well known of migratory butterflies. We know that most of the Monarchs from west of the Rocky Mountains spend the winter along the California coast while those from central North America spend the winter in roosts in the mountains of central Mexico. Monarchs from the Atlantic seaboard also migrate. Some are thought to go to Mexican mountain overwintering sites, while others may travel to, and through, Florida, perhaps flying on to undiscovered sites in the Caribbean and/or the Yucatan Peninsula.
Butterflies and Moths – Their Differences
They flit around our gardens. They have six legs, scaly wings, an exoskeleton segmented into three parts and an antenna. Is this a butterfly? Or a moth?
Difficult, isn’t it? That’s because both come from the insect order of Lepidoptera. The order is one of the largest with the second most number of insect species. Telling those two apart can be a real pain. There are exceptions, which make the rules unclear. But generally, the butterflies and moths can be distinguished if you look at the details.
Antenna
Let’s start with their heads. Both sport antennas. But if you look closely, you’ll find that the butterfly has an antenna that is straight and ends with a little knob. Moths have feathery antennas. However, as said before, there are exceptions. Castniidae moths have antennas that end in a knob for example.
Attracting Butterflies To Your Garden
There are dozens of myths and beliefs surrounding the lives of butterflies. From legends to mythology, many mystical qualities are attributed to the common butterfly. However it is their radiant and colorful beauty that has brought butterfly gardening to the forefront of hobbies for people from all walks of life.
There are a myriad of reasons for wanting these flittering creatures to be a part of your gardens. Butterflies have inspired humankind since antiquity, not just for their decorative value but also as spiritual beings, symbolic of metamorphosis, rebirth, love, hope, and freedom.
The life cycle of butterflies and moths has been used in many cultures to represent many things. The hatching from the egg is the equivalent of human birth. The caterpillar represents the stage of life; the lowly “worm” waiting for a transformation, just as we await our reward in an afterlife.
