Scale
Patterns (88K) |
Butterfly wings are made of hardened membrane, strengthened
by veins and covered by tiny scales. Each scale is
a single color. The intricate designs of butterfly
wings are produced by thousands of scales, arrayed
in complex patterns and overlapping one another like
shingles on a roof. |
| The
specialized mouth parts of the adult butterfly are
unusual. Most insects chew their food with large,
jawlike mandibles, but butterflies consume only liquids,
sucking up their food through the proboscis (pro-BOSS-iss),
a tube that resembles a drinking straw. In some species,
a very long proboscis -- up to one and a half times
the body length -- allows the butterfly to probe deeply
into flowers for nectar. |
Face
of a Butterfly (191K) |
| A
butterfly finds food by using its large compound eyes
-- which are sensitive to light, movement, color and
patterns -- as well as its antennae. The antennae
may look like "feelers," but they have chemical receptors
and are used primarily for smelling. |
Tastebuds
(39K) |
Proboscis
(59K) |
Sucking
Nectar (22K) |
|
