How old do butterflies get?
There are more than 160,000 different butterfly species worldwide, including around 3,000 of these in Central Europe. Depending on the time of flight, these insects are divided into two groups, the day and night moths. In their life cycle, these moths go through four development phases (metamorphosis transformation): egg, larva, pupa and adult moth. But if you have ever asked yourself how old butterflies can get, you will find useful information about it here.
How old these insects get - informative and background knowledge
Butterflies (Lepidoptera) belong to the group of insects.
- Your body is divided into three parts: the head, the chest and the abdomen. They have six legs and two pairs of wings. Furthermore, there are two feelers, hemispherical compound eyes on the head and a trunk that can be rolled up on the mouth, which is used to absorb food.
- The moths are hairy all over their body, although the small hairs on the wings grow closer colored, small scales have formed what the insect then also the typical blaze of color confers. These colors and structures also serve as camouflage and protection from natural enemies such as mice, birds and spiders.
- Despite these defense mechanisms, butterflies do not get old. The average life expectancy of an adult butterfly is three months.
- But there are also native species, such as the brimstone butterfly, the peacock butterfly, the mourning cloak or the little fox, which can also live to be a year old. Wooden crevices, attics or spaces in tree bark serve as hiding places.
Colorful butterflies fly through our landscape like shining gemstones. …
Butterflies - Generations and Nutrition
Some female butterflies can have two or two from March to October. bring forth three generations.
- Plant parts close to the ground and also leaves serve as egg-laying places, whereby the female can lay up to 100 eggs here individually.
- Adult day butterflies mainly eat liquid food with their proboscis. These include flower nectar or other sweet liquids, such as plant juices or honeydew from lice. But there are also butterfly species that specialize in the juice of rotting fruit.
- There are also moths where stinking organic waste and excrement or decaying animals are on the menu, because these are suppliers of vital minerals.
- There are also butterflies that do not eat any food at all. These include the European moths, such as the small and large night peacock butterfly. In spite of these different diets, these scallops are only a few days or months old, depending on the species. The native brimstone has the highest life expectancy, which has an impressive life expectancy of 12 months.
Similar to butterflies, it is also the case with other insects, which also have their own individual ways of life.
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