Family. The. Butterfly Book

Transcription

1 Family The Butterfly Book Activity Kit

2 In this kit you will find: Who Am I? A quiz to identify certain backyard butterflies Did You Know? Informative, fun facts about butterflies Butterfly Banter. A word search game A Butterfly Quiz that will make you a butterfly whiz A Butterfly Bookmark to color and cut out Download this booklet at Everyone enjoys seeing butterflies flitting about on a summer day, but few realize that many species are endangered. Without help, nine out of ten caterpillars won t survive to become butterflies. The "grandfather of butterfly farming," Rick Mikula, wants to improve these odds. In The Family Butterfly Book, Rick shares his vast knowledge, contagious enthusiasm, and deep respect for these fascinating creatures. Rick explains how to attract, catch, handle, raise, and support butterflies, and how to make habitats for butterflies that include basking sites, water sources, and shelter. You will also learn how to: hand-feed a butterfly make Christmas tree decorations using chrysalises build inexpensive, how-to projects, such as a caterpillar-rearing container photograph butterflies like a professional identify butterflies in your own backyard with the 40-page identification guide, complete with neverbefore-published photographs and illustrations This activity kit is an introduction to learning more about butterflies and is designed to be as fun as it is informative. Dolly Parton was so inspired by the subject that she wrote a song proclaiming love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing. We hope that these activities will help you learn more about butterflies and help guarantee the future survival of these rare and gentle things. Try raising your own butterflies. You ll be surprised how easy it is. Good luck!

3 Who Am I? North America, our beautiful butterflies Below are descriptions of butterflies you might find if you wandered across North America from sea to shining sea. Find the answers to these questions below and in chapter 5 of The Family Butterfly Book You ll find me in the Gulf States, the Midwest, and even Canada. My favorite food is citrus leaves. My wingspan averages 4½ 6 inches. My black forewings are lined with two rows of yellow spots. Who am I? I lay my eggs only on the pawpaw plant. As you might guess from my name, I am white with black stripes, but I also have red dots, blue dots, and even a scarlet stripe. Fans say I look exceptionally beautiful when I fly. Who am I? I am unusual in that I am communal; my larvae are quite happy to feed in groups. I like rotting fruit and mud. You can find me throughout North America. Who am I? I have orange and black wings, and I am the most widely known butterfly in North America. I am also well known for my famous migration to Mexico. I am very particular about where I lay my eggs. Only milkweed will do, because it is the only food my caterpillar will eat. Who am I? I m easy to identify because of the large ocelli (pretend eyes) on my wings. You ll find me throughout the United States and most of Canada during the summer months, but come winter, I head south in migratory flocks. Who am I? I love to wake from a long winter s nap to feast on violet petals. I can have a wingspan of nearly 4 inches, though I normally average 3. The color of my wings is a blend of oranges, sienna, and burnt umbers, and you ll always find silvery spots on my hind wing. Who am I? I may be small (wingspan average is 1¼ inches), but I m easy to find in meadows and gardens. Look for my orange wings with black patches and zigzags. If you want to hunt for my eggs, aster leaves are the place to look. Who am I? Answers: 1. Giant Swallowtail 2. Zebra Swallowtail 3. Mourning Cloak 4. Monarch 5. Buckeye 6. Great Spangled Fritillary 7. Pearly Crescentspot

4 D I D Y O U K N O W? Winter Survival Strategies Butterflies living in less-than-tropical areas spend the winters in various forms of development. Depending on their species, they may wait out the colder months as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, or adult butterflies, hiding under loose bark on trees, fallen logs, or even the eaves of your house. Frequently, they will adopt an evergreen tree or a pile of firewood as housing. D I D Y O U K N O W? Check Out All the Colors? Butterflies have definite favorites when it comes to color. Purple and yellow are the preferred flower colors, followed by white and blue, and then red. The ideal garden should incorporate the colors that butterflies like the best. D I D Y O U K N O W? A Breath of Fresh Air Butterflies and caterpillars don t breathe through their mouths. They use holes in the sides of their abdomens called spiracles. These openings are connected to a system of tracheae that deliver oxygen in the same way our lungs do.? DID YOU KNOW? What s for Lunch?? A caterpillar s first food is usually its own eggshell. It provides the nutrients the larva will need to begin the next stage of its journey.

5 BUTTERFLY BANTER If you want to become a butterfly enthusiast (or expert), you ll find yourself using some beautiful butterfly vocabulary. Get a head start on learning and using butterfly terms by circling the hidden words in the word search below. You ll find all these words and more in The Family Butterfly Book by Rick Mikula. MIGRATION BUTTERFLY ANTENNAE EGGS NET MONARCH SKIPPER GARDEN LEPIDOPTERA WINGS HABITAT STAGES CATERPILLAR SWALLOWTAIL LARVAE HOST A J F Z M N O I T A R G I M A C N B U T T E R F L Y A T J D R A T E J Y G L E A V R A L Z D V C E P B G C E O N O V A Y S V E A N E S M U D E R E R B B C M T F N Q F D T A U Y E Z X R O M T U A V S L S R O T J D E N E T F M E L E G C Q P T G P A L J V G I G F N Z B O A A P R C C E P A U T I R P D C R I C I F R T M S H W H B I D D K H H E S N U E J G S Y P H E S N T I H A B I T A T U E G N U A P I M R K N T T G P L I A C F S W A L L O W T A I L C D E T I L S J M R N F H O S T

6 Butterfly Quiz How well do you know butterflies? Take this quiz and find out if you are a butterfly whiz! The cool way to refer to butterflies is: a) margarine flies b) bee flies c) leps Which one of the following two states has more species of butterflies? a) Hawaii b) Alaska A monarch caterpillar can be as long as: a) 1 inch b) 2 inches c) 4 inches How many legs do adult butterflies have? a) two legs b) four legs c) six legs Butterflies cannot fly if the temperature is: a) below 50 degrees Farenheit b) below 60 degrees Farenheit c) below 70 degrees Farenheit Approximately how many species of butterflies live in the United States and Canada? a) 780 b) 1200 c) 5000 Butterflies are most attracted to the color(s): a) purple and yellow b) red c) black and white A caterpillar s first food is usually: a) a leaf b) its own eggshell c) a flower petal Butterflies breathe through the holes on the sides of their abdomen, which are called: a) tracheae b) spiracles c) antennae Water will damage the wings of butterflies. a) True b) False In the United States, the greatest threat to the survival of butterflies is: a) pollution b) birds c) urban sprawl Answers: 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. C 5. B 6. A 7. A 8. B 9. B 10. B 11. C

7 Butterfly Bookmark Directions: 1. Color in the butterfly. 2. Paste this sheet on cardboard or heavy paper, and carefully cut on the dashed line (ask for help if you need it). You will have a beautiful butterfly bookmark!

8 The Family Butterfly Book by Rick Mikula is a fun-filled source of butterfly projects for families, students, and teachers alike that will teach you how to: Feed a butterfly (see page 55) Build a hanging butterfly cage (see pages 52-53) Make a caterpillar-rearing container (see pages 48-49) Below are six photographs showing the metamorphosis of a Monarch from caterpillar to butterfly. Number the photos to show the correct sequence of the stages. Answers are below or on page 58 of The Family Butterfly Book. A B C D E Make a butterfly net (see page 40) Grow a butterfly-friendly garden (see Chapter 2) And more! 87 Marshall St., Suite 4, North Adams, MA Contact our Publicity Department at (413) , or at publicity@storey.com F Answers: A=1 B=4 C=3 D=6 E=2 F=5 Storey Books grants permission to reproduce the information in this booklet (by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, etc.) for use by individuals or groups for educational and/or promotional purposes Storey Books