Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, where it is common in many different habitats.
But the Painted Lady remains easy to find. A Washington State University butterfly expert described painted ladies as a “cosmopolitan” butterfly because they can be found on every continent aside from Antarctica.
Tiger Swallowtail butterfly
How long do butterflies live for?
There are over eighty species of milkweed found in North America. In Washington we have only three native to the state: one common, one uncommon and one rare. The most widespread of these is the showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), shown in the photos above.
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants. Western monarchs breed in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and eight other states and then migrate to their winter home in California. New research shows these monarchs are disappearing even faster than their eastern cousins.
They help flowers pollinate, eat plenty of weedy plants and provide a food source for other animals. In addition, their presence or absence can tell us a lot about the local environment.
The scales, which are arranged in colorful designs unique to each species, are what gives the butterfly its beauty. Like all other insects, butterflies have six legs and three main body parts: head, thorax (chest or mid section) and abdomen (tail end). They also have two antennae and an exoskeleton.
Some of the common predators of butterflies include but are certainly not limited to: wasps, ants, parasitic flies, birds, snakes, toads, rats, lizards, dragonflies and even monkeys! A few of the other animals that are constantly adding butterflies onto their menu list are frogs and spiders.
Butterflies are active during the day, so at night they find a hiding place and go to sleep. In the same way, moths are active at night and during the day moths hide and rest.
After mating the butterfly has done what it was created for – to continue the species. Males will die 6-8 weeks after using up all their sperm mating with a succession of females. Similarly the female will die after she has laid all her eggs – usually between 300 and 400 although one monarch laid over 1,000 eggs!
Without them, people will not enjoy chocolates, apples, coffee and other foods that have become vital in our daily existence. Nearly 75 percent of the food crops worldwide depend on these pollinators, therefore, their existence and health affect the food production.
Where do butterflies spend the night? At night, or during inclement weather, most butterflies perch on the underside of a leaf, crawl deep between blades of grass or into a crevice in rocks, or find some other shelter, and sleep.
A butterfly house, conservatory, or lepidopterarium is a facility which is specifically intended for the breeding and display of butterflies with an emphasis on education. Some butterfly houses also feature other insects and arthropods.
Butterflies hide when it rains. They usually go to the same places they do for the night. Some butterflies hide under large leaves, some crawl down into dense leaves or under rocks, and some just sit head down on grass stems or bushes with wings held tightly.
Butterflies don't bite because they can't. Caterpillars munch on leaves and eat voraciously with their chewing mouthparts, and some of them do bite if they feel threatened. But once they become butterflies, they only have a long, curled proboscis, which is like a soft drinking straw—their jaws are gone.
Slice up some fruit that's going bad to give to your butterflies. They especially like to eat rotting grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, apples, and bananas. Add a little bit of water or fruit juice to your sliced fruit to keep it desirably moist. Make a butterfly feeder.
A quick and easy method to euthanize butterfly eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and adults is simply to place them in the freezer overnight. Within a couple of minutes, they are normally already dead. They can be placed in a paper or plastic bag, sealed shut, and laid in the freezer.
Butterflies are particularly fond of sliced, rotting oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, peaches, nectarines apples and bananas. Place on plates and put outside. The mixture can be kept moist by adding water or fruit juice.
Adult butterflies do not urinate or defecate (or "go to the bathroom"). The larval life stage - the caterpillar - does all of the eating, and caterpillars almost continually defecate. Interestingly, when there enough caterpillars eating in the same place, their defecation is audible. That is, you can hear the poop!
Butterflies are cold-blooded and need the sun's warmth to keep their activity levels up. When it's dark or cloudy they become inactive, close their wings, and rest. Most butterflies sleep alone, but there are also species that sleep in groups.
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are diverse in their strategies to gather liquid nutrients. Typically, mud-puddling behaviour takes place on wet soil. But even sweat on human skin may be attractive to butterflies such as species of Halpe. More unusual sources include blood and tears.
If your butterfly is already moving around, it's best to try to get it calmed down again so it will re-enter dormancy. If you can, catch it in a shoe box with ventilation holes, put the lid on and then put the box in a cool, dark place for an hour or so.
