Butterfly Research
-> Butterfly Show, July 30, 2004
Raising Butterflies
Butterfly Show September 2004
Butterfly Show 2005
Butterfly Show 2006
We
went to the butterfly show (Wings
of Fancy at Brookside Gardens). There were lots of butterflies there!
We first saw the outdoor butterflies. There were tons of moths too. But inside
there was tons of butterflies. When I walked inside, three blue butterflies
came flying past me! I saw a butterfly that was black and green. I saw one
that looked like it had a whole lot of eyes! It looked like it had six eyes.
It felt hot in there. We took a lot of pictures, and now we'll tell about
the butterflies we saw!
In the garden outside were lots of small butterflies, like
this
one. We think it might be some kind of Skipper. There were also lots of
bees!
At the beginning of the inside garden we saw these caterpillars.
They had just hatched out of eggs. They were eating and eating and eating
leaves. Soon they'll change into a chrysalis, and then when they come out
they will be butterflies.
We saw a Monarch
butterfly on the ground. Monarchs live in Maryland. Here are two
Monarchs. One has its wings 
spread
out. Usually butterflies have their wings closed and folded up, like the one
on the branch. These Monarchs
have both folded their wings. Butterflies have four wings -- two in front,
and two in back.
We think this
is an American Painted Lady. That's what we're getting in our butterfly kit!
You can see this butterfly is drinking nectar from the purple flower through
its proboscis. Here you can better see the Painted
Lady's wings.
Here is an Orange
Zebra butterfly. There are other colors of zebra butterflies. Here is
another
Orange Zebra, and here
is one that looks like a White Zebra. Here is a Giant
Swallowtail. This one is a White
Zebra Swallowtail. There's also a blue swallowtail. Swallowtails' back
wings look like the bird swallow's tail.
Here is a Crimson-Patched
Erato Longwing. The only green butterfly we saw was this Malachite.
Malachites like to eat green shrimp plant, but we also caught one
eating some rotten fruit.
We're not sure what this
butterfly is. You can only see the underside of the wings, and the underside
can look very different than the topside. Here is one butterfly that looks
like a brown
butterfly when its wings are folded up. But when the wings are opened
up, you can see that it is a beautiful
blue color! We think this is a Blue Morpho, my favorite
butterfly. One time there were four blue ones that almost landed on me!
This
butterfly might be a Buckeye. It's hard to tell because its wings are
folded up. Do you see the circles that look like eyes? They are there for
stuff that might want to eat butterflies, to scare them away. 
Butterflies can also keep enemies away by being the same color as something.
That's called camouflage. Can you see the butterfly here
or here?
Here are two
butterflies that we don't know what they are. They look like they're in
a mirror!
Here is the most beautiful butterfly of all! It's the Pink-Flower
butterfly.
Just Kidding! That's me standing outside the butterfly house.
Here's the last butterfly we saw -- a Red
Spotted Purple. It was outside the show, in front of the door, trying
to get inside!
Faith says: I liked the Painted Lady but not the blue butterflies. I liked all of them but not the blue butterflies because they were flying past me. But I was a little scared of the Painted Ladies but I loved it a lot. But when we were driving, and we got there, I saw a white one. That's all I want to say!
--story by Thea and Becky, all pictures by Becky and Rick
References: Wings of Fancy: Identification Guide to Butterflies and Caterpillars, North American Species, show brochure; USGS Children's Butterfly Site, http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/resources/education/butterfly/bfly_intro.asp;