What to feed a butterfly at home in winter and summer

Honey “nectar” and rotten fruits

Even children know what these insects feed on in nature: pollen and nectar of flowers. However, the diet of butterflies is not limited to this; for example, many species happily drink the juices of rotten fruits. By the way, representatives of the sailfish family, as well as the usual nymphalids, need sodium vitally. Peacock's eye, admiral's eye or burdock can often be seen in summer sitting on moist clay soils or whitewashed trunks of fruit trees. Butterflies also love to land on sweaty people. These are the ways to get your own salt.

Therefore, there is nothing complicated about how to care for a butterfly and what to feed it. To prepare nectar at home you need 1/5 tsp. Dilute honey in 2 tsp. water. The mixture is prepared in a rosette, saucer or small jar lid. The insect is carefully taken across the abdomen and placed on the edge of the food container. A hungry butterfly will immediately straighten its proboscis and begin to suck in “nectar.” The meal can last from 2 to 15 minutes.

They also prepare food for the butterfly from overripe fruits. A piece of apple, pear, banana, mango, melon or watermelon pulp is kneaded in water to a liquid consistency. It is recommended to offer your pet food 2 times a day.

The task becomes more complicated, but becomes even more interesting if you want to see with your own eyes how a luxurious butterfly will be born from a not particularly attractive caterpillar.

Wintering

What do butterflies do in winter? Butterflies living in tropical latitudes have it easier in this regard, but our butterflies living in a temperate climate zone have to survive the winter cold, how do they do it? Some butterflies do not survive the winter, they live only in the summer, during which time they leave offspring that survive the winter in the form of pupae. But there are also species of butterflies that survive the winter cold by hiding in tree hollows or deep cracks in the bark. Also, some species of butterflies, like birds, with the onset of cold weather, rush to fly to warmer climes. For example, such travel butterflies are the monarch and the oleander hawk moth.

Habitat

Moths are distributed almost everywhere; they cannot be found only in Antarctica. The ability of moths to fly is very developed, so they can be found both on the continent and on islands in the ocean.

Moths in central Russia are a fairly common phenomenon. They can be found even in the most abandoned places, traveling through the air on silk threads to which they are attached. In addition to this method of movement, caterpillars can move by attaching to broken branches of trees or whole logs that were moved from place to place after heavy rains or the flow of a river.

The following moths are known in the Moscow region:

fine strands;
bagworms;
wood borers;
cocoon worms;
birch silkworms;
slugs;
peacock eyes;
corydalis;
moths;
nolides.

Pigmentation.

Like daytime butterflies, the coloration of night butterflies is dual in nature - structural and pigmentary. Pigments of various chemical compositions are formed in scales that densely cover the body of the insect. These substances absorb rays of a certain wavelength and reflect others, which represent the part of the solar spectrum that we see when looking at a butterfly. Structural coloring is the result of refraction and interference of light rays and is not associated with the presence of pigments. The layered structure of the wing scales and membranes, as well as the presence of longitudinal ridges and grooves on the scales, lead to the deflection and interaction of “white” solar rays in such a way that certain of their spectral components are enhanced and perceived by the observer as colors. In moths, the coloring in nature is mainly pigmentary.

How to attract butterflies to your site and what to feed them

A variety of caterpillars inhabit trees and flowers, which are their food supply, so they must be taken along with the plant. The found caterpillar must be planted in a cage or jar, which is covered with a lid or gauze. Several holes must be made in the lid to facilitate the flow of fresh air.

After some time, the caterpillar turns into a pupa, on the body of which you can see the faint outlines of the body of the future butterfly. Butterfly breeders consider watching the birth process of a butterfly to be the most interesting and exciting activity. This process takes several hours and is like a real little miracle.

Plastic house for children in the country

The wings of a butterfly that has just been born resemble small rags hanging on a frame of veins. At this point, you must place a stick or twig in the jar or cage. If the butterfly cannot find suitable support, then its wings will straighten incorrectly and then it will no longer be able to fly fully.

We also recommend reading: Wooden bird feeder How to grow butterflies at home

Do-it-yourself rabbit hutches (10 photos)

Butterflies grown from caterpillars remain in the garden. To do this, you can plant special plants that attract such insects and form the main food supply for them.

How to make a net with your own hands

In spring and summer, it’s so great to spend the whole day in the fresh air, because at this time everything around is so pleasing to the eye: an abundance of greenery, flowers, butterflies. Speaking of butterflies! Who among us in our early childhood did not like to run after them with homemade nets? Imagine with what zeal and enthusiasm your child will do this. The only thing left is to make a net!

Of course, the easiest way to buy a net is in a store or market, but making it yourself will be much more interesting, especially since there is nothing complicated about it.

If you don’t know how to make a net with your own hands, we offer brief instructions:

You need to start by preparing the handle for the net. It is advisable to find a good quality wooden club (necessarily as smooth as possible), 2-3 cm thick. It must be cleaned of splinters.

Growing a butterfly from a caterpillar

Butterflies grown from caterpillars remain in the garden. To do this, you can plant special plants that attract such insects and form the main food supply for them.

Body structure

According to its structure, the butterfly is divided into two main parts:

Body - consists of the head, chest and abdomen. The oral apparatus consists of a long proboscis, which folds to a small size. With its help, butterflies drink flower nectar. However, in some species, the mouthparts are gnawing. The head is decorated with two antennae and eyes. They are necessary for orientation in space and catching odors. The legs of the insect are located on the thoracic region. The abdomen looks like an elongated cylinder.
Wings - there are two pairs of them (back and front). Usually the hind wings are smaller than the front wings. The span can reach 30 cm. The top layer consists of scales of various shapes. The pattern and coloring depends on the species, sexual characteristics and habitat. Many representatives of Lepidoptera have learned to use the coloration of their wings to camouflage themselves from predators.”

Protective painting.

Caterpillars and adults of moths widely use protective (cryptic) and warning (repellent) coloration. The latter attracts the attention of predators and is accordingly demonstrated by species that possess some kind of powerful defense. For example, many caterpillars are brightly colored, have an unpleasant taste caused by the secretion of special glands, or are covered with stinging hairs. The cryptic coloration, which allows them to blend into the background, is simply fantastically developed in the larvae of some species. If a caterpillar finds food on a coniferous tree, it may be virtually identical in color and shape to the needles or scales surrounding it. In other species, the larvae not only resemble small twigs in their appearance, but also rise on the branches at the moment of danger so as to further emphasize this similarity. This mechanism is characteristic, for example, of moths and some ribbon moths.

Cryptic coloration in imago moths can be illustrated by a huge number of examples. Resting individuals of some species from families distant from each other resemble heaps of bird droppings, while others blend perfectly with the granite rocks, bark, leaves or flowers on which they usually sit. Ribbon flies display bright warning colors on their hind wings in flight, but are almost indistinguishable at rest, since the cryptic pattern of the fore wings folded on the back perfectly camouflages the insect on stones or tree trunks. The wings of many moths bear spots very similar to the wide open eyes of large predators. This scares away enemies who try not to risk finding out the true size of the animal “looking” at them.

How to feed butterflies

The insects themselves cannot see and fly up to the treat. If the taste buds have not worked, then it is recommended to help them. Take a toothpick and slowly spin the proboscis with it, pointing it towards the food. There is no point in holding the butterfly. During feeding, you can see the proboscis moving more intensely. After the insect has eaten, it simply flies away.

To the question “What do butterflies eat?” one could answer briefly - nectar. They love the nectar produced by various beautiful flowers. Moreover, unlike many insects, butterflies distinguish the color red, which allows them to better navigate in search of food.

And in today’s article we will talk in detail about what butterflies eat at home and how they survive in the wild.

What do butterflies eat at home?

One of my friends has pet butterflies

. To be honest, I don’t understand what motivates his hobby, but he really cares a lot about his pets and even prepares special nectar

.
It consists of water, honey, sugar and fruit. Butterflies need to be fed once a day.
As far as I know, domestic butterflies can also be given rotten fruits, liquid honey and just sweet water.

Butterflies are interesting creatures to observe because there are still many aspects of their lives that no one has been able to explain.

One of the most beautiful types of insects is fluttering butterflies. There are all kinds of them: large ones with bright colors, small ones, pale ones, barely noticeable and nocturnal moths. There are a huge number of their varieties in the world, and some of them will be discussed in this article.

Benefit.

Since the oral apparatus of the vast majority of adult moths is a soft proboscis that is not capable of piercing animal and plant tissue, the adults of these insects rarely cause harm to humans. In many cases, they feed on flower nectar, bringing undeniable benefits as pollinators of important crops.

An example of such benefit and at the same time symbiotic interdependence is the relationship of the yucca moth with yucca plants. The flower of the latter is designed in such a way that fertilization of the ovules and the development of seeds from them is impossible without the help of a pollinator. This assistance is provided by the female yucca moth. Having collected pollen from several flowers, she makes a ball out of it, which she carefully places on the stigma of the pistil, thereby ensuring the fertilization of the ovules in the ovary, where she lays her eggs. Developing yucca seeds are the only food for its larvae, which, however, eat only a small percentage of them. As a result, the complex behavior of the adults of these moths in an unusual way ensures the reproduction of very specific plants. Several species of yucca moths are known, each of which is symbiotically associated with one or more species of yucca.

Life cycle

Lepidoptera are insects with a full cycle of transformation. The life cycle of a butterfly consists of 4 stages:

egg;
larva (caterpillar);
chrysalis;
adult insect (imago).

The duration of each cycle depends not only on the species of the insect, but also on climatic and weather conditions.

Egg

After mating, female butterflies lay eggs. Most lay eggs on the leaves or shoots of the food plant, but some lay eggs in the soil or on its surface.

Oviposition

The shape and shade of eggs can be very different. Oval, round, conical, cylindrical eggs are painted in white, sand, light green, pink, blue, brown. The embryo located in the egg is protected by a dense shell, and its development occurs due to nutrients.

The egg stage lasts from 7 – 15 days to several months (if the egg overwinters). Depending on the species, butterflies lay different numbers of eggs from several dozen to a thousand.

Caterpillar

At this stage, insects look like worms. They have a well-developed gnawing mouthpart, so immediately after hatching they begin to actively feed. Thanks to this, the development and growth of the butterfly larva occurs quite quickly. In addition, caterpillars store building substances necessary for subsequent transformation into a butterfly.

Caterpillars experience 4-5 molts, after each of which they increase in size. The larvae of some species molt up to 40 times. The development of a butterfly larva lasts from several weeks to several years.

What do caterpillars eat?

For the most part, the larvae eat plant food (leaves and young shoots, tree bark, inflorescences and fruits of plants), unlike adult lepidoptera, which feed on the nectar of flowers. But the diet of some caterpillars consists of foods such as:

wood;
lichens;
mushrooms;
skin, wool, hair, horny substances;
wax;
weakened and sick relatives;
caterpillars of other species;
scale insects;
snails

During development, the caterpillar increases in size tens of times.

How long does the caterpillar stage last?

The duration of the caterpillar stage depends on the type of insect and the conditions in which it lives. From the moment the larva emerges from the egg until the start of pupation, it can take several days or several years.

Doll

Caterpillars have special glands that produce a strong, silky thread. When the larval phase is completed, the insect begins to secrete a thread and wrap itself in it, forming a cocoon. It is inside the cocoon that the amazing transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly takes place.

The pupae are absolutely motionless and most often have a nondescript coloring, which saves them from attacks by birds and insect predators. The pupal stage lasts from 2-3 weeks to several months.

Imago

When the adult butterfly has finally formed, it secretes a caustic substance that corrodes the shell of the cocoon. Through the resulting hole, the insect climbs out. After this, the butterfly needs a few more hours for its wings to dry and become dense, after which the beauty takes off on its first flight in its life.

Birth of a butterfly

The lifespan of the imago varies from several hours to several months, but most often the butterfly lives for a couple of weeks.

Shelters.

Caterpillars from several fairly distant families of moths appear to have independently acquired similar defensive behaviors. A good example is bagworms and case-carriers. In the bagworm family, the caterpillars build silken houses with pieces of debris and leaves attached to the outside almost immediately after hatching. The structure of the shelter is such that only the front part of the larva protrudes from it, which, if disturbed, is completely retracted inside. The size of the house increases as the caterpillar grows, until it finally grows and pupates inside this “bag” of its own, reaching a length of 2.5–5 cm. After a few weeks, a winged male emerges from there, and the females of some genera remain in the house , and mating occurs with the help of a highly specialized copulatory organ, which the male inserts there. After fertilization, the female lays eggs in her sac and either dies next to them, never coming out, or, in some species, she crawls out to immediately fall to the ground and die.

Caseworm caterpillars build similar portable houses from pieces of leaves, shed larval integument and similar materials, holding them together with the secretion of the salivary glands and their excrement.

Business ideas with butterflies

You can breed butterflies not only for entertainment, but also for business. There are several promising options for making money from these insects. The initial investment pays off in 2 weeks, and organizing an insectarium at home is easy even for a beginner.

Depending on your wishes, you can choose one direction of work or combine several:

sell pupae and butterflies to other breeders;
sell dried exotic specimens as souvenirs;
organize exhibitions;
rent out for photo shoots or weddings.

Butterflies feed on fruit nectar and do not require other food.

Sale of pupae for breeding

The first option for making money is selling pupae for breeding. Nowadays these insects are most often sold online. The breeder creates a website where he talks about his butterflies and offers to buy them. The average cost of a doll is 200 rubles, the standard batch size is 15 dolls. Having sold one batch, the owner of the insectarium will earn 3 thousand rubles.

You can also buy caterpillars for breeding butterflies online. The investment will pay off in the first weeks of operation. Consider the issue of delivering pupae by mail or courier service: packaging, speed, ventilation, insect safety.

Sale of live butterflies

A similar line of work is the sale of live butterflies. Considering the transience of the life cycle of these insects, for successful implementation you need to think carefully about marketing. How will buyers receive butterflies?

These insects are bought not only for home keeping, but also for events. For example, butterfly fireworks are popular. This is the name given to a box with several insects inside, which are ceremonially released at weddings and similar events. The cost of one fireworks is at least 2 thousand rubles. Reviews on the Internet about such services indicate their popularity.

Dried butterflies in a frame

Anyone can learn how to decorate frames with butterflies. Only accuracy and attentiveness are of fundamental importance. Phenol is commonly used to preserve insects. Among the necessary equipment, we note a glass desiccator (pan), a pin and planks for spreading the wings.

Butterfly exhibitions

The owner of an impressive collection of butterflies can make money by organizing an exhibition. These often take place in shopping centers and are popular with families with children. The exhibition requires several dozen insects of different species, preferably exotic, and an area of 20-30 sq.m.

Ticket price: 150–200 rubles. Shopping centers have very high traffic, so it is quite possible to attract up to 200 visitors in one day. The exhibition can be combined with the sale of dolls and live butterflies, souvenirs, fireworks and paid photography.

A framed butterfly is a popular souvenir that costs at least 450 rubles

Photo sessions with butterflies

The popularity of personal photo sessions has not decreased for several years. But there is a crisis of originality: photographers do not know what new to offer the audience. This is an opportunity for a butterfly breeder to make money: rare insects can be rented out. The approximate price for renting copies for photography per hour is 500-700 rubles. This way you can freely earn several thousand a week. The line of work is easily combined with the sale of butterflies and fireworks, souvenirs and exhibitions.

The owner of the insectarium must only think about the delivery of insects to the photo shoot location. It’s easy to find clients through social networks - all photographers have work accounts there.

Harm.

Caterpillars of moths are very voracious. They can damage leaves, stems and roots of plants, eat stored food products, and spoil various fibers and other materials. The larvae of many species of moths cause significant damage to agriculture.

The harm of keratophagous moths is well known to everyone. They lay eggs on wool and fur, which their larvae feed on. The fibers of these materials are also used by some species to build pupal cocoons.

Malicious pests are grain moth, or barley moth, Indian flour moth and mill moth, which destroy grain in warehouses. All three species are cosmopolitan, i.e. They are distributed almost all over the world, and to reduce the damage they cause, it is necessary to constantly treat with insecticides.

Caterpillars of many species belong to the so-called group. leaf miners (from the English miner - miner) - they feed on plant tissues deep in the leaf and for this they gnaw through long winding passages and extensive cavities under its epidermis. The larvae of other species make tunnels inside branches, roots and trunks, spending their entire immature life inside the host plant, which provides pests with reliable protection from parasites, predators and humans trying to fight them.

Probably the most noticeable type of damage caused by caterpillars to plants is defoliation, i.e. destruction of foliage. Hungry butterfly larvae can literally strip fields, vegetable gardens and even forests.

Content nuances

We’ve figured out what butterflies eat, now let’s talk about how to keep this exotic insect at home.

First, she needs a home. It should not fly freely around the apartment, so you will have to equip or purchase a special insectarium.

Secondly, it is necessary to maintain a suitable microclimate. They love warmth and at any sign of cold they immediately hibernate. The optimal temperature for their existence is 23-28 degrees Celsius.

We recommend reading: “What do lizards eat”

Thirdly, the level of humidity is no less important. In dry air the butterfly will die very quickly

To increase humidity, spray the apartment or insectarium with water from a spray bottle. Don't be afraid if droplets get on an insect. It's even useful. This procedure should be carried out 1-2 times a day.

Fourthly, they pay special attention to their sleeping place. If you don’t have an insectarium and they just live in an apartment, then most likely the insects will spend the night on curtains or on indoor plants

If pets live in an insectarium, then you will need to build a resting place for them.

Twigs are perfect. They need to be laid out so that the butterfly can sit down comfortably (they sleep while sitting).

Butterfly: description and photo. The structure and appearance of butterflies

The structure of the butterfly has two main sections: the body, protected by a hard chitinous shell, and the wings.

A butterfly is an insect whose body consists of:

Head, inactively connected to the chest. The butterfly's head has a round shape with a slightly flattened occipital part. The round or oval convex eyes of the butterfly in the form of hemispheres, occupying most of the lateral surface of the head, have a complex facet structure. Butterflies have color vision and perceive moving objects better than stationary ones. In many species, additional simple parietal eyes are located behind the antennae. The structure of the oral apparatus depends on the species and can be of the sucking or gnawing type.

Breasts with a three-segment structure. The front part is significantly smaller than the middle and back part, where three pairs of legs are located, which have a structure characteristic of insects. On the shins of the butterfly's front legs there are spurs designed to maintain the hygiene of the antennae.
The abdomen has the shape of an elongated cylinder, consisting of ten ring-shaped segments with spiracles located on them.

Butterfly structure

The antennae of the butterfly are located on the border of the parietal and frontal parts of the head. They help butterflies navigate their surroundings by sensing air vibrations and various odors.

The length and structure of the antennae depend on the species.

Two pairs of butterfly wings, covered with flat scales of different shapes, have a membranous structure and are penetrated by transverse and longitudinal veins. The size of the hind wings can be the same as the front wings or significantly smaller than them. The pattern of butterfly wings varies from species to species and captivates with its beauty.

In macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very clearly visible - they can have completely different shapes and colors.

Butterfly wings – macro photography

The appearance and color of the butterfly’s wings serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition, but also act as protective camouflage, allowing it to blend into its surroundings. Therefore, colors can be either monochrome or variegated with a complex pattern.

The size of a butterfly, or better said, the wingspan of a butterfly, can range from 2 mm to 31 cm.

Organs of vision.

The main organs of vision of moths are two large compound eyes, occupying almost the entire upper part of the head. Such eyes, characteristic of most insects, consist of many identical elements independent of each other - ommatidia. Each of them is a simple eye with a lens, a light-sensitive retina and innervation. The hexagonal lenses of several thousand ommatidia of one compound eye of moths form its convex multifaceted surface. A detailed description of the structure and operation of such organs of vision would require too much space here, and it is important to note only one thing: each ommatidia, independently of the others, perceives part of the overall image, which ultimately turns out to be mosaic. Judging by the behavior of moths, their visual acuity, like that of other insects, is good at close range, but they most likely see distant objects rather blurry. However, thanks to the independent work of many ommatidia, the movements of objects within their field of vision are probably perceived even “on an enlarged scale,” since they immediately excite hundreds or even thousands of receptor nerve cells. Consequently, the conclusion suggests itself that eyes of this type are designed primarily for recording movements.