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Butterflies Are More than Beautiful: Can We Keep Them Alive?By THERESA RAPOLTI-SABATINO Butterflies are delightful creatures. They have no negative impact on the environment or on human beings and are a beautiful part of the outdoor world. Butterflies also fascinate us with their developmental (growth) stages, a process called metamorphosis. A butterfly's lifespan, from egg through caterpillar to butterfly, is only about 20 to 40 days. After a butterfly egg hatches into a caterpillar, the first food it eats is its own eggshell. Later, caterpillars and then butterflies get nourishment from plant leaves, nectar from flowers and water from mud puddles.
The scientific name for the butterfly is "lepidoptera." Within this classification are hundreds of individual butterfly species. Unfortunately, many of the species are facing extinction, including some of the kinds seen in Central Florida. An article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal addressed the very real threat of butterflies becoming extinct. In Florida only one kind of butterfly, called the Schaus' swallowtail, is officially on the endangered list but other species are so threatened their names may soon be put on the list, too. One species that is extremely threatened, according to a News-Journal article published not long ago, is the Miami blue butterfly. "Threatened" and "endangered," along with "extinct," are categories used by the U.S. Government and many other agencies to determine, for one thing, what steps that should be taken to help a particular creature. Threatened species do not get the same level of protection as those that are classified as "endangered," which is considered just one step away from extinction. There are numerous reasons why the butterfly population is at risk. These include being hit by cars, being harmed by chemicals used for mosquito control spraying and being zapped by electric bug killers that are often used outside so that people can enjoy the outdoors without the irritation of insects. Although these actions are severely affecting the butterfly population, scientists list the changing environment on our planet as the most severe threat to butterflies. This threat is not one that can easily be reduced or removed. One way people could help, though, is by turning off their electric bug zappers. Other steps that could be taken include modifying mosquito control spraying as well as researching ways to make the chemicals used in spraying safer. One more way, although it is more complicated, is to consider the safety of butterflies when protecting the environment with controlled fires. Controlled burning or fires to remove extensive underbrush that could contribute to fire disasters is important and effective but could be made more insect-friendly by more closely monitoring insect populations in burn areas. We may often look at butterflies, as they flutter by us, as beautiful, non-threatening and carefree. Knowing the facts regarding the future and safety of butterflies can prompt us to consider what we can do as individuals to preserve as many species of the beautiful butterfly as possible. Try these interesting activities using The News-Journal 1. Scan The News-Journal for interesting articles on butterflies, or use the links to articles provided above. Using plain paper, construction paper or poster board, make a list of the different butterfly species featured in the articles. Chose three species that live in Florida, if possible, to focus on and list as many facts as you have for those three species. If you can, locate a picture or find a description of the species you have chosen, or draw your own picture of each. Share your facts and illustrations with your friends, classmates, parents, caregivers or teacher. Save it to use as part of an additional activity. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.3, SC.G.1.2.2, SC.H.1.2.2) 2. Using The News-Journal as a resource, determine a good location for spotting butterflies. With permission, choose a time to spend on a butterfly expedition. Some butterfly-watching activities might include observing how far they fly before landing, where they land, whether they are still or have movement after landing and how long the butterflies will stay in their landing area if not disturbed. This activity, which could be done individually or with a group, is designed to allow you to enjoy observing the butterflies with some facts to think about rather than taking notes. Later, describe in words or pictures some of your experiences. Post your creation on a wall or bulletin board for others to learn from. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.1, SC.G.1.2.2, SC.H.1.2.2) 3. Scan The News-Journal for articles that list different species of butterflies. Choose one species of butterfly to research. You may choose any butterfly species from any location on the planet. Some possible choices include: the Miami blue, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, the Monarch or the Amazon Morph. Draw your own pictures or use pictures that you find to show the species of butterfly that you chose. Draw and label the life cycle of the butterfly. Using the information from your research, write some specific facts about the species of butterfly you have chosen including its natural habitat, food it eats, specific enemies or predators and whether or not it is considered threatened, endangered or thriving. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, SC.G.1.2.2, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.1.2.3) 4. Have fun making a butterfly-related collage showing pictures of butterfly environments, the life cycle and types of butterflies. Scan The News-Journal for photos to use. You may also use pictures from magazines. Ask your teacher or parent where you can display your butterfly collage to share the information you have learned. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, SC.G.1.2.2, LA.C.3.2.1) 5. With permission, go on a "treasure hunt" to discover butterflies in the larvae stage or as they are emerging from their eggshells as caterpillars. Imagine you are an environmental specialist and take notes on anything that seems important to you about the butterfly. Later, organize your observations and, using News-Journal articles for inspiration, write a short news piece about what you observed. Submit your piece to a school newspaper or publish it as in informational flyer to share with friends and family. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.1.2.3, SC.G.1.2.2, SC.G.1.2.6) A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org. Check out these websites for more interesting information Learn more about butterflies - and all kinds of wildlife - at www.kidsplanet.org. The information is easy to understand, colorful and interesting. Click on to the link to get to some cool activities. Another really good site is "The Children's Butterfly Site" at www.mesc.nbs.gov. It offers coloring activities that relate to butterflies and other fun activities, as well. Click on to check it out. A website named "The Science Spot: Adopt an Insect" is located at www.sciencespot.net. This site has a strong focus on preservation of insects as well as facts. The Butterfly Website at www.butterflywebsite.com has detailed information about many butterfly species, colorful pictures and interesting activities such as how to plant a butterfly garden. This site also suggests safe websites and links for additional information about butterflies and more activities. One more site that is interesting and informative is "kidzone". This site can be accessed by typing in www.kidzone.ws/animals for animal or insect information. Have fun!!! The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published September 30, 2002 |
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