Mark Latona, age 7, of Utica, N.Y., for his question:
WHAT DO BUTTERFLIES EAT?
You'll find butterflies in almost every spot on earth. Some live near the North and South poles, while others pick out cold mountaintops. Some like the desert, while most can be found in the areas where men and animals live.
Some butterflies live for only a few weeks, while others, live to be nearly a year old. Beautiful butterflies, often called winged flowers, are actually insects. They are related to moths, and scientists say there are more than 90,000 different kinds on earth. Next to the beetle, the butterfly forms the second largest order in the animal kingdom. All butterflies were caterpillars in their early days. At this time in their lives they ate leaves and fruit and often harmed crops.
As butterflies, however, you don't have to worry about crop damage. Butterflies live completely on the nectar they obtain from flowers. The sweet liquid makes up the total diet since they cannot bite or chew when they are in their adult butterfly form.
Butterflies, along with a number of other insects, help to make it possible for flowers to develop into fruits and seeds since they carry pollen from one flower to another.
How did the butterfly get his name? No one seems to know for sure, although some say it is because so many have the bright yellow color of butter. Andy thinks another good name for him would be Flutterby.
Butterflies don't grow in size after they change from caterpillars. The small ones stay small and the big ones are hefty to start with. Largest butterflies in North America, by the way, are the giant swallowtails and the tiger swallowtails. They have wingspread of a bit over five inches. Largest in the world is the 11 inch Queen Alexandra that's found only in New Guinea.
Can you tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth? Butterflies fly only during the day while, moths are out at dusk or even later. Butterflies fold their wings straight up over their bodies, while most moths rest with their wings spread out flat. All butterflies have bare knobs at the ends of both their feelers, while most moths are either hair like or plumy at the ends of their antennae. Also, butterflies have thin bodies, while moths are usually plump.
Butterflies lay their eggs on plants that will serve as food for their babies. A sticky substance laid with the eggs holds them to the plants. Larvae, or caterpillars, start to develop a few days after the eggs are laid.
Butterfly collecting is one of the world's most popular hobbies. The U.S. government once paid $50,000 for a private collection that is now in Washington, D.C.'s National Museum.