Exactly
In ancient Japanese classics, the custom of letting a couple marry at a wedding was described for the first time.
live butterflies.
Buddhists treat butterflies with the deepest respect: after all, they are
Buddha spoke with his sermon.
Among Christians, the butterfly is sometimes depicted sitting on the hand of the infant Christ and
symbolizes the rebirth and resurrection of the soul.

Ancients
The Romans believed that butterflies were flowers that were blown by the wind.
The Slavs also believed: pure souls
angels fly to us like day butterflies to convey our
wishes to heaven.

Peoples Southeast Asia treat with reverence
butterflies. Here they believe that seeing a butterfly in your home is lucky.
after all
it symbolizes all the best in a person's life.

In China, the groom still gives gifts before the wedding
living bride or

jade
a butterfly is a symbol of unchanging love.
Among the Aztecs, the butterfly was one of the attributes of the god of vegetation, spring and love.
Elves - air spirits who came to us from Scandinavian mythology, were depicted
in the form of beautiful little people with butterfly wings.

Evolutionary
the path of the butterflies

Butterflies are comparatively
a young group of insects. They appeared about 60 million years ago, much
later than cockroaches and dragonflies, as determined by the fossil remains inside
amber. Some species have remained virtually unchanged since
the times of their ancestors. Scientists even distinguish small winged birds into a special suborder
primary toothed moths (Zeugloptera).
They are called primary because they stand at the origins of the evolutionary chain of butterflies.
Toothed - because, unlike most butterflies, whose mouthparts
transformed into a spiral proboscis for sucking nectar, small winged
they do not have a proboscis. They feed on pollen, literally chewing it with their mandibles.
(with teeth), as beetles or cockroaches do. More developed butterflies -
leafrollers, fingerwings - have more complex structure. To get
food for future caterpillars, they need to flutter between plants. That's why
Such moths fly better: they resist the wind more successfully and require less
swings to gain speed. This includes a variety of colors and all kinds of
spines and hairs covering the larvae. Open lifestyle, not limited
walls of the shelter, made it possible to increase the size of individuals many times over. So gradually
macrolepidoptera arose, that is, day and night butterflies, the dimensions of which
measured in centimeters.

Day and night butterflies

All butterflies are divided into day and night.
Day and night butterflies are unequal groups. Daytime
only about 20,000 species belonging to 15 families out of 80 included in
order of Lepidoptera. There are no clear differences between day and night butterflies.
The shape of the antennae is the only reliable
sign. All diurnal butterflies have a thickening or
mace, but this happens extremely rarely among nocturnal ones. Among all the nocturnal (different-whiskered)
Among European butterflies, only pied moths have club-shaped antennae, but these butterflies
differ well in shape and color from all others. Almost all day butterflies
when at rest, fold their wings vertically above the body, so that only the underside is visible
wings Moths at rest usually hold their wings flat above their body and
folds them so that the upper side of the wings is visible. Day butterflies like
As a rule, they are brightly colored and fly slowly, fluttering easily over the flowers. Moths
painted more modestly, in gray or brownish tones. Therefore, resting during the day on
It is very difficult to notice a moth on a tree trunk. Scoops are called large
part of the moths, which, at different sizes, have thick, densely pubescent
body and long bristle-like antennae. An armyworm sitting on a tree trunk during the day
folds its wings into a “house” and becomes almost invisible, merging with the color
bark. The cutworms fly out after sunset and feed on nectar and tree sap.

Butterflies in
human life

Who from
Were you not amazed by the lovely butterflies fluttering from flower to flower? Ancients
No wonder they were called flying flowers - they are so beautiful. Many legends and
legends from different nations world is connected with these heavenly creatures. In Japan
They believe that seeing a butterfly in your home is lucky: butterflies symbolize
all the best in a person’s life, and a pair of butterflies means family happiness. IN
Indian legend says that if you whisper your wish to a butterfly and
release it, it will certainly come true.

And yet the most important thing is that they give us
butterflies, is a feeling of joy from admiring their amazing beauty and
variety. In them people find the harmony to which they strive all the time.
life, from childhood. And it is no coincidence that it is children who are most susceptible to
the fantastic beauty of butterflies, because these fluttering flowers create that feeling
secrets, which, according to the great physicist and amateur violinist Albert
Einstein, "lies at the origin of true art and true science."

The largest and smallest butterflies

Attacus atlas is considered the largest butterfly in the world. IN
The wingspan of the butterfly reaches 25-30 cm, from a distance it can be mistaken for a bird.

The biggest night butterfly called
Ornithoptera alexandrae, a swallowtail from Papua New Guinea. Wingspan
females can exceed 280 mm
, and weight - more than 25 g
.

The smallest day butterfly - Zizula
hylax. The species is distributed in Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Arabia,
tropical zone of Asia and Australia. The length of the baby's front wing is
only 6 mm

Unusual in butterflies

Why are butterflies like this?
beautiful?
- vision and color perception
butterflies are quite weak. Therefore, in order to be recognized by their relatives, they
should be as brightly colored as possible.
- predators are afraid of bright insects: brightly colored butterflies can
turn out to be poisonous or simply disgusting in taste. That's why this color
safer.
- an adult butterfly has one goal in life - to leave behind offspring,
so they just need to dress up nicely..

Winged meteorologists.
Adapting to diverse living conditions, butterflies have learned
anticipate weather changes.
Many people have probably seen hives break out a few hours before a thunderstorm.
In the event of a downpour, they are saved under branches, indoors, in the hollows of trees. Half an hour to an hour before
thunderstorms seek shelter in the rainforest forest. The famous entomologist J. A. Fabre
discovered synoptic abilities in caterpillars of the traveling pine silkworm,
which, before bad weather, did not leave their common nests for night feeding.
The caterpillars feed quite far from the nest, so strong wind and snow
threaten them with death. Fabre conducted research in Southern France (Provence). IN
January, during the coldest and most difficult period, pine silkworm caterpillars
become more responsive to weather changes. It was at this time, after another
When they molt, holes appear on their backs covered with delicate, colorless skin,
with the help of which the caterpillar detects changes in atmospheric pressure.

The butterfly fluttered sweetly
Sat down on a bright flower
Dipped in sweet nectar
Its tiny proboscis.

Wings - opened flowers -
I stand there admiring them.
I forgot about the toys
I don't sing the song anymore.

I'll stop screaming loudly
My brother is also silent.
I won't touch the butterfly -
Let him fly wherever he wants.

Butterfly.

Flying from shadow to light,
She herself is both shadow and light,
Where was she born like this?
Almost devoid of signs?
She flies, crouching,
She must be from China
There are no others like her here,
She's from those forgotten years
Where is the small drop of lazori
Like the blue sea in your gaze.

Arseny Tarkovsky

In a clearing by the river there once lived
moths.
Brothers are colorful, like candy wrappers!
And the second one is sky blue with white splashes, like frost.
The first is red, like a rowan, like a drop of ruby.
The third is yellow, like a lemon, inspired by the light of the sun.
And the fourth is snow-white, a delicate chamomile petal.
In the blue dots, the sixth brother, White-red-gold.
And the seventh is completely purple, only with a turquoise stripe.
The eighth brother is a little green, like a salty ocean.
And the ninth one has white dots, red diamonds and circles.
Brother tenth, all motley like confetti, fly to us!

Butterfly(folk
nursery rhyme)
Box butterfly,
Fly under the cloud.
Your kids are there
On a birch branch.
( cross the wrists of both hands and press the backs of your palms to each other
to a friend, fingers straight - the “butterfly” is sitting; palms straight and tense,
do not bend your fingers; with a light but sharp movement of the hands at the wrists, imitate
flight of a butterfly)

Movable poems “Butterfly”

In the morning the butterfly woke up.
Smooth swings of the arms.

She stretched and smiled.
Perform movements

Once - she washed herself with dew.
Consistency with the text.

Two - she spun gracefully.

Three - she bent down and sat down.

At four, it flew away.

Movable
games.

Quantity
players: any Additional: nets, balloons Participants receive
a large net on a long stick and balloon. The players' task is how
catch your opponent in the net as quickly as possible, trying not to “lose” the ball.

Tie a piece of paper cut out to a thread
butterfly Carry the butterfly in front of the faces of the children who are standing in a semicircle or in
circle. Children blow on a butterfly. The butterfly flies away from them. You need to start blowing
only when the butterfly is already in front of the child’s face.

Riddles about the beautiful inhabitant fields and meadows -
butterfly

It flutters and dances over the flower,
He waves a patterned fan.
Answer: butterfly.

Moved around the flower
All four petals.
I wanted to rip it off -
He took off and flew away.
Answer: butterfly.

The flower was sleeping and suddenly woke up -
I didn't want to sleep anymore.
He moved, he started,
He soared up and flew away.
Answer: butterfly.

In the morning it crawls
At noon, motionless
And in the evening it flies.
Answer: butterfly.

She was a worm
I just ate and slept.
Lost my appetite
You look - it flies across the sky.
Answer: butterfly.

On a large colored carpet
The squadron sat down -
It will open, then it will close
Painted wings.
Answer: butterfly.

Parable about a butterfly.

Once upon a time, gray-haired
There was only one sage in the world,
He gave an answer to any question,
To the one who came for advice

A neighbor lived next to him.
He envied the fame of the sage.
And he dreamed of asking him such a question,
So that wisdom does not find the desired answer.

Once I was in a meadow and caught a butterfly,
And he squeezed it between his palms.
I decided: “Now I’ll ask him -
Am I holding a butterfly alive or dead?

And if he answers that the butterfly is alive,
I'll squeeze my palms a little tighter.
And if he says. that I'm holding it dead
Then I will immediately release the butterfly to freedom.

And soon he came to the sage with a butterfly,
Anticipating victory, I asked him a question.
The sage was brief in his words.
He answered: “EVERYTHING IS IN YOUR HANDS.”

1.2.5 Night and day butterflies

Many adult butterflies are active during the day, and at night they rest and sleep. These are daytime butterflies. More than once we admired blueberries, lemongrass, mourning grass, urticaria, peacock's eye, hawk moths and many other beauties, the names of which are unknown to us. Other large group butterflies, called nocturnal, fly at dusk and at night, and during the day they hide in secluded places. Among them are strong, nimble, fluffy, shaggy, average size or small creatures that in the dark unexpectedly fly into the light, noisily ram the light bulbs, bounce off them, do not fly away, but curl and beat against any surface, feverishly vibrating their wings at breakneck speed. When you try to catch them, they escape, leaving a myriad of scales in the form of gray dust on your hands. These are different scoops. Night butterflies include: moths, corydalis, cocoon moths, cutworms, hawkmoths, moths, bear moths and others.

1.2.6 Protection from predators

Methods of protection from predators are very diverse. A number of species have a foul odor and unpleasant taste, or are poisonous, all of which makes them inedible. Having tried such a butterfly once, predators will avoid similar look in the future.

Poisonous and inedible species often have a warning bright color. Butterflies, deprived of such means of protection, often mimic inedible species, imitating not only the color, but also the shape of the wings. This type Mimicry is most developed in Lepidoptera, and is called “Batesian”.

Some butterflies imitate wasps and bumblebees, for example, glass moths, bumblebee hawk moth, and scabious bumblebee. This similarity is achieved due to the coloring, body contours and structure of the wings - they are almost scaleless and transparent, the hind wings are shorter than the front ones, and the scales on them are concentrated on the veins.

Many species have a protective coloring, disguised as dry leaves, twigs, and pieces of bark. For example, the silver hole resembles a broken twig, the oakleaf cocoon moth resembles a dry birch leaf.

Unlike butterflies that are active during daylight hours, species that are active at dusk or at night have a different protective coloration. The upper side of their forewings is colored in the colors of the substrate on which they sit at rest. At the same time, their front wings fold along the back like a flat triangle, covering the lower wings and abdomen.

One type of repellent coloration is the “eyes” on the wings. They are located on the front or hind wings and imitate the eyes of vertebrates. In a calm state, butterflies with this coloration usually sit with their wings folded, and when disturbed, they spread their front wings and display frightening, brightly colored lower wings. In some species, large and very bright dark eyes with a white outline, similar to the eyes of an owl, are clearly visible.

Moths for protection against bats They have densely hairy bodies. The hairs help absorb and disperse ultrasonic signals from bats, thereby masking the moth's location. Many butterflies freeze when they detect a sonar signal bat. Ursa bears are capable of generating a series of clicks, which, according to some researchers, also prevent their detection.

2. Peculiarities of biology of individual representatives of this family in the Urals

2.1 Thistle

Thistle, or Thistle, is a diurnal butterfly from the nymphalidae family.

Description. The color above is light brick red with black spots forming a transverse band in the middle of the forewing, and white spots at the end of the forewings; the underside of the hind wings has dark and light streaks and 4-5 ocular spots (yellow with a blue core) in front of the edge. Spreading. It is more widespread than any other butterfly, as it is found in all parts of the world, with the exception of South America; in northern Europe it reaches Iceland. The caterpillar lives on thistles and artichokes. Fertilized females overwinter. Habitats and lifestyle. Butterflies are found everywhere where thistles and nettles grow; in the mountains they reach a height of 2000 m, but they still give preference to dry, sunny areas of the area - steppes, fields and meadows, avoiding dark forests. The burdock is a famous traveler who flies to Europe from North Africa in the spring and autumn, thistles gather in flocks and fly south: to Iran, India, and some to Africa.

2.2 Urticaria

The urticaria, also known as the chocolate butterfly, is a diurnal butterfly from the nymphalid family.

Early spring the hives are already flying. They overwinter as adult butterflies. And as soon as the sun warms up, they crawl out of various cracks and from under the bark. They fly a little, lay eggs and die. Caterpillars usually live on nettles.

Description. The Nettle butterfly is a commonly encountered daytime butterfly. Its color is brick red with black spots and a black border. This black border is decorated with bright blue spots. The length of its wing is 4-5 centimeters. The urticaria caterpillar is usually 5 centimeters long, the color is bright green, the underside of the caterpillar's abdomen is yellow and covered with black stripes. Its black hairy caterpillar feeds on nettle leaves, which grow in abundance in gardens, near houses, and in weedy places; it is because of the caterpillar’s ​​addiction to this grass that the butterfly got its name “nettle.” The urticaria lays eggs on the underside of the leaf; the color of the eggs is yellow. The body length of the urticaria is usually up to 5-10 millimeters. The pupa belongs to the covered species. The mobility of the pupa is determined by the movements of its abdomen. The interesting thing is that it is almost impossible to distinguish the relatives of urticaria from each other.

Spreading. Today it can be found everywhere in Europe. The wren family includes more than five hundred species of butterflies and about 20 genera. The hives butterfly is a frequent visitor to almost all countries of the world.

Information about the work “Representatives of the class Insects - as objects of scientific and educational tourist routes. Order Lepidoptera, or Butterflies"

Both day and night butterflies belong to different groups of the order Lepidoptera. The body of moths is more voluminous and shaggy, and the wings, on the contrary, are not very large. The coloration of those who like to fly at night is dim, velvety gray or chocolate. But there are also nocturnal ones with bright colors, and also among the daytime ones you can see nondescript individuals.

Moths within their group are generally very similar in appearance, in contrast to their daytime relatives, who amaze with the variety and luxury of shapes and colors. Their body is densely covered with fine hairs and transparent scales.

In moths, the sensory structures are arranged in a special way, this is due to the need to move in the dark. These insects have a very subtle sense of smell, with the help of which they find food and mating partners.

Night butterflies have hearing organs, while day butterflies are deprived of the ability to hear. The eyes of both groups of butterflies are developed approximately equally and capture movement better than shapes. In the dark, you can often observe how moths flock to a light source and circle around it.

Main types of moths

Moths or Pyralidae are small moths, many of which are pests. When folded, the wings of moths take the shape of a triangle.

True moths (Tineidae) and fingerwings (Pterophoridae) are also small moths. The edges of their wings are decorated with a fringe of gray scales.

Caligo Eurilochus, or owl butterflies, are very beautiful. These large insects with chic wings reach 20 cm. On the lower wings of the caligo there is a pattern reminiscent of the round eyes of an owl. This protective coloring repels birds of prey who are happy to do so. The owl moth can be kept at home, because it does not require exotic food and eats ordinary overripe bananas.

Hawkmoths (Sphingidae) are also incredibly spectacular large butterflies, reminiscent of hummingbirds. They scare away predators with a “dead head” pattern on the back.

Peacock-eyes (Saturniidae) are wide-winged, very large butterflies with a thick body. The wings of these insects also have a pattern with eyes.

Leaf rollers (Tortricidae) are pest butterflies. Their folded wings resemble a bell. The most dangerous pests among leafrollers – apple codling moth and spruce budworm.

Bears (Arctiidae) are brightly colored, medium in size and have a shaggy, plump body.

Many adult butterflies are active during the day, and at night they rest and sleep. This day butterflies. More than once we admired blueberries, lemongrass, mourning grass, urticaria, peacock's eye, hawk moths and many other beauties, the names of which are unknown to us. Another large group of butterflies called night , flies at dusk and at night, and hides in secluded places during the day. Among them stand out strong, nimble, fluffy, shaggy, medium-sized or small creatures, which in the dark unexpectedly fly into the light, noisily ram the light bulbs, bounce off them, do not fly away, but curl and beat against any surface, vibrating feverishly wings at breakneck speed. When you try to catch them, they escape, leaving a myriad of scales in the form of gray dust on your hands. These are different scoops. TO moths include: moths, corydalis, cocoon moths, cutworms, hawkmoths, moths, bear moths and others.

Protection from predators

Methods of protection from predators are very diverse. A number of species have a foul odor and unpleasant taste, or are poisonous, all of which makes them inedible. Having tried such a butterfly once, predators will avoid this species in the future.

Poisonous and inedible species often have warning bright colors. Butterflies, deprived of such means of protection, often mimic inedible species, imitating not only the color, but also the shape of the wings. This type of mimicry is most developed in Lepidoptera and is called “Batesian”.

Some butterflies imitate wasps and bumblebees, for example glassware , hawk moth honeysuckle bumblebee, scabiosa bumblebee . This similarity is achieved due to the coloring, body contours and structure of the wings - they are almost scaleless and transparent, the hind wings are shorter than the front ones, and the scales on them are concentrated on the veins.

Many species have a protective coloring, disguised as dry leaves, twigs, and pieces of bark. For example, silver hole resembles a broken twig, oakleaf cocoon moth looks like a dry birch leaf.

Unlike butterflies that are active during daylight hours, species that are active at dusk or at night have a different protective coloration. The upper side of their forewings is colored in the colors of the substrate on which they sit at rest. At the same time, their front wings fold along the back like a flat triangle, covering the lower wings and abdomen.

One type of repellent coloration is the “eyes” on the wings. They are located on the front or rear wings and imitate eyes vertebrates. In a calm state, butterflies with this coloration usually sit with their wings folded, and when disturbed, they spread their front wings and display frightening, brightly colored lower wings. In some species, large and very bright dark eyes with a white outline, similar to the eyes of an owl, are clearly visible.

To protect themselves from bats, moths have densely haired bodies. Hairs help absorb and disperse ultrasonic signals from bats, and thereby mask the location of the butterfly. Many butterflies freeze when they detect a bat's sonar signal. Ursa are capable of generating a series of clicks, which, according to some researchers, also prevent their detection.

Classification. The most common classification scheme for the order Lepidoptera divides it into two suborders, Palaeolepidoptera and Neolepidoptera. Their representatives differ from each other in many characters, including larval structures, oral apparatus, wing venation and structure of the reproductive system. Palaeolepidoptera includes few species, but they are represented by a wide evolutionary spectrum of mostly very small forms with miner caterpillars, while the suborder Neolepidoptera unites the vast majority of modern butterflies. In total, the Lepidoptera order includes more than 100 families, some of them (only for moths) are listed below. Glassworts (Sesiidae): slender forms with transparent wings without scales; resemble bees in appearance; fly during the day. Moths (Pyralidae): small, varied in shape butterflies; the wings at rest are folded into a triangle: many species are pests. Fingerwings (Pterophoridae): small forms with longitudinally dissected wings, the edges of which bear a fringe of scales. True moths (Tineidae): very small moths with a fringe of scales along the edges of their wings. Notched moths (Gelechiidae): small, often brightly colored moths; many, such as grain moths (barley moths), are malicious pests. Hawk Moths (Sphingidae): Typically large species that resemble hummingbirds in appearance. Bagworms (Psychidae): males are winged, small, darkly colored; wingless females and caterpillars live in silk bags. Peacock-eyes (Saturniidae): very large, wide-winged butterflies with a massive body; Many have "eye" spots on their wings. Moths (Geometridae): small, slender, broad-winged forms, the caterpillars of which “walk”, bending in a loop in the vertical plane. Leaf rollers (Tortricidae): small and medium-sized species; folded wings often resemble a bell in outline; many are dangerous pests, such as the spruce budworm and codling moth. Cocoon moths (Lasiocampidae): medium-sized hairy butterflies with a massive body; caterpillars are dangerous pests. Ursa Moths (Arctiidae): Medium-sized, hairy butterflies with brightly colored wings. Cutworms (Noctuidae): forms with inconspicuous gray or brown wings and filamentous antennae. Waterworts (Lymantriidae): males with gray or brown wings and feathery antennae; females are sometimes wingless; caterpillars are brightly colored.

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .