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Great Mormon Female
Swallowtail butterflies are
large, colorful butterflies which form the family
Papilionidae. There are at least 550 species, and
though the majority are tropical, members of the
family are found on all continents except
Antarctica. The family includes the largest
butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies
of Australia (genus Ornithoptera).
Adults of both sexes have three pairs of walking
legs, though most males have fused segments in their
front legs. Most adults visit flowers for nectar,
but some harvesters feed on wooly aphid honeydew and
some hairstreaks feed on aphid honeydew or bird
droppings. Females lay single, sea urchin shaped
eggs on host leaves or flower buds; the resulting
caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. In many
species, caterpillars depend on ants for protection,
so caterpillars produce sugary secretions that are
collected by the ants. Most species overwinter in
either the egg or pupal stage. |
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Great Mormon Male
Butterflies are among the most fascinating and
beautiful animals; even people who care not for
insects in general usually have an affection for
these winged wonders. They live nearly
everywhere -- from gardens and forests and
mountains to acid bogs and frozen arctic tundra.
Almost 700 of the world's 10 - 20,000 species
live in North America north of Mexico. The
butterflies pictured here are captive, live
butterflies. Live butterfly exhibits have become
very popular in the United States, for obvious
reasons. Children love butterflies, adults love
butterflies and museums find them easy to raise
and maintain - everybody wins. This happy
circumstance is also good for the wild
butterflies - people who used to go into the
rain forest and capture live butterflies, or
plunder their eggs and chrysalises now can be
set to work on butterfly farms, thereby sparing
our wild populations, and providing much needed
jobs for many impoverished regions. |
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