Butterflies are one of the most colorful and attractive varieties of insects that appear to have been existing on Earth for nearly 56 million years during the Paleocene epoch.The scientific classification of the species is within the class Insecta, order Lepidoptera, and suborder Rhopalocera. The Oxford English Dictionary ascribes the Old English word ‘butorflēoge’; as the source of the name butterfly, although close variations also appear in the Old Dutch and Old German languages.Butterflies have a lifecycle of four stages, and they undergo metamorphosis like most other insects. However, the beauty of their transformation is unlike the rest. A butterfly begins its life as a caterpillar and starts to feed on plant leaves. The fully grown caterpillar develops a pupa or chrysalis to undergo metamorphosis and finally emerges as an adult butterfly. More than 18500 species of butterflies can be found around the world, except for Antarctica. Although butterflies are moths are closely related for being in the same order Lepidoptera, they are not the same. Moths are different because they generally exhibit darker shades of coloration, pupas that form cocoons, and bulkier bodies.If you find butterflies fascinating and want to learn more fun facts about other species from this insect world, you might enjoy our article on Monarch Butterfly Facts. If you are interested in learning about reptiles like wild lizards, check out Can Bearded Dragons eat green beans?Can butterflies see their wing color?People might marvel while they look at the beautiful colors and patterns on the wings of a butterfly, but can the butterflies even see them and recognize how amazing they look? You might be surprised by the answer.Butterflies are known to have two large, compound eyes, constituting hundreds of ‘ommatidia’ units fitted with small lenses. This incredible feature of their eyes allows butterflies to gain nearly an entire 360-degree field of vision, except for a tiny area of no vision on the back of its body. Therefore, butterflies can view their wings and their marvelous colors. But, there is a difference in their perception.Since butterflies have two compound eyes fitted with several lenses, they can identify shapes and more colors than human eyes are capable of. However, butterflies do not perceive patterns or similar details in objects. The insect also has blurry vision because the numerous lenses focus on different areas and cannot create clear visuals. Thus, even if butterflies can see their fantastic, colored wings, it is doubtful that these insects have a clear vision of it. Unable to recognize patterns, it is also impossible for butterflies to see or understand the beauty of their wings that otherwise enthrall human vision.Furthermore, a butterfly has about 6-15 photoreceptors in each segment of its eyes, compared to the three photoreceptors in a human eye. As such, butterflies can also see different wavelengths of ultraviolet light added to the spectrum of white light. The human eye cannot sense the smaller wavelengths of ultraviolet light. Therefore, it is also plausible that butterflies can see various colors that any human eyesight can never perceive. It is also interesting to know that butterfly wings are made of flat scales or tiny hairs that provide color. A butterfly can have three types of scales: pigmented scales that produce colors from pigment chemicals, diffractive scales that exhibit color by diffracting light, and androconia scales that only produce pheromones.Why can’t butterflies see their wings?If you read about the incredible field of vision of butterflies, then you already know the problem with this question. But let’s give a simple explanation for those learning about butterfly vision for the first time.The idea that butterflies can’t see their wings is a myth. Butterflies have close to a complete 360-degree field of vision, leaving a small area on the back of their body. This means that butterflies can almost entirely see their horizontal and vertical planes of vision. Thus, the wings can be visible to the butterfly, especially when it flaps its wings to fly. The typical butterfly behavior is to keep its wings closed and directly on its back while at rest. During such times, its wings are presumably in the area where the butterfly has no vision and thus might not be able to see its wings.Other than flying, butterflies can also extend and show off their wings for many different purposes. One of the main reasons for making a flashy display of their wings is to distract or dominate predators. Some butterflies also develop patterns and colors that help them camouflage their surroundings. Displaying the bright colors of their wings under bright light is also considered a mating call of butterflies, while it can also help butterflies of the same species to communicate.Can butterflies see humans?Want to know if the complicated eyes of a butterfly can see human beings or other animals? Look no further! We have got the answer right here.A butterfly has compound eyes comprising hundreds of lenses, each with about 15 photoreceptors. The lenses cannot produce a focused image, whereby the vision of a butterfly is usually always blurry. We have also learned that butterflies are incapable of recognizing patterns. Based on this understanding, we can confidently deduce that the person will surely appear blurry when a butterfly sees a human. The butterfly can neither perceive the patterned features in a human face nor the body due to its inability to understand patterns. The visual of the person can never be a sharp image. Due to the additional photoreceptors, the butterfly will be seeing humans in a variety of colors that are not known to humans.Furthermore, butterflies are nearsighted creatures who cannot see things far away. Their range of vision is limited to 12 ft (4m), making it more difficult to sense human presence from a distance. Butterflies might only have a good understanding of the shape of humans.Will butterflies die if we touch their wings?Butterflies are beautiful insects. But they are small and fragile, so it is necessary to handle these creatures gently. If you are concerned about the consequence of holding a butterfly, read this section to understand better.When you touch or hold a butterfly by its wings, you may find its colors appearing on your fingers. But you will not see them dying when you feel them. They are small and sensitive, but that does not mean the insect will die if you touch them. However, the best way to handle butterflies is to wait patiently and let them come and rest on you. It is not recommended to touch them by the wings because even if it is not deadly, the pressure can severely injure their wings.The average lifespan of a healthy adult butterfly is estimated to be around 2-3 weeks. However, depending on the species, some butterflies may have a short life of about a week, while for others, it can extend to nearly a year.
Butterflies are one of the most colorful and attractive varieties of insects that appear to have been existing on Earth for nearly 56 million years during the Paleocene epoch.
