Adventist Adventurer Awards and Answers/Butterfly

Butterfly
Busy Bee

Learn how butterflies live and eat.

Butterflies and moths are a group of insects called Lepidoptera. Like all insects, butterflies and moths have a head, thorax, abdomen, two antennae, and six legs. Additionally, moths and butterflies have four wings that are almost always covered by colored scales, and a coiled proboscis for drinking liquids such as flower nectar. Lepidoptera is derived from the Latin "lepido"= scale + "ptera" = wing. Of course there are exceptions; some moths have wingless adults and some primitive moths lack a proboscis.

With few exceptions, adult butterflies and moths eat only various liquids to maintain their water balance and energy stores. Most adults sip flower nectar, but other imbibe fluids from sap flowers on trees, rotting fruits, bird droppings, or animal dung. Many adult butterflies are found drinking fluids at wet sand or mud, especially along stream courses or the edges of dirt roads or trails.

Butterflies have strong muscles in their thorax which force their wings up and down on a fulcrum basis. They actually go in a slanted figure 8 motion that propels them forward through the air in the same principle as an airplane.

Collect pictures, stickers or photos of butterflies that live in your state.

Texas Butterflies Collection

American Lady
American Snout
Hackberry Emperor
California Sister
Mexican Silverspot
Monarch
Western Tiger Snowtail
Zebra Swallowtail

Discuss and draw the life cycle of the butterfly.

Unlike many insects, butterflies do not experience a nymph period, but instead go through a pupal stage which lies between the larva and the adult stage. The four stages of a butterfly's life cycle are:

Life Cycle

Butterfly Eggs are fixed to a leaf with a special glue which hardens rapidly. As it hardens it contracts, deforming the shape of the egg. This glue is easily seen surrounding the base of every egg. Eggs are usually laid on plants.
Larvae or Caterpillars, are multi-legged eating machines. They consume plant leaves and spend practically all of their time in search of food.
The larva transforms into a Pupa (or Chrysalis) by anchoring itself to a substrate and moulting for the last time. The chrysalis is usually incapable of movement, although some species can rapidly move the abdominal segments or produce sounds to scare potential predators.
The adult, sexually mature, stage of the insect is known as the Imago. After it emerges from its pupal stage, a butterfly cannot fly until the wings are unfolded. A newly-emerged butterfly needs to spend some time inflating its wings with blood and letting them dry, during which time it is extremely vulnerable to predators. Some butterflies' wings may take up to three hours to dry while others take about one hour.

Memorize John 3:7 and discuss the story of Nicodemus in John 3.

John 3:7 (NIV)
You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again.

Put your hands flat together in front of you, as in prayer. Open and close the top of your hands like a butterfly’s wings) When a butterfly sits and opens and closes its wings it warms its muscles and takes energy from the sun and stores it in its body. When we pray to Jesus we feel warm and good inside and we receive energy from Him to be happy, strong and do what is right. Continue to move your hands like a butterfly as we pray.

Make one of the following crafts

a. A butterfly on the sidewalk with chalk

b. A torn construction paper picture of a butterfly - Handprint Butterfly

c. A butterfly in the sand or snow

d. A butterfly mobile - Mobile

e. A butterfly magnet - Butterfly, Dragonfly and Bumblebee magnets

f. A butterfly made with beads - Step by step beads Butterfly

g. A butterfly made of colored tissue clipped together with a clothes pin. - Tissue Paper Butterfly

Learn a song about butterflies.

The Butterfly Song (If I were a Butterfly)

Words and Music by Brian Howard

IF I were a butterfly

I'd thank You, Lord, for giving me wings

And if I were a robin in a tree

I'd thank You, Lord, that I could sing

And if I were a fish in the sea

I'd wiggle my tail and I'd giggle with glee

But I just thank You, Father

For making me 'me'

For You gave me a heart

And You gave me a smile

You gave me Jesus

And You made me Your child

And I just thank You, Father

For making me 'me'

If I were an elephant

I'd thank You, Lord, by raising my trunk

And if I were a kangaroo

You know I'd hop right up to You

And if I were an octopus

I'd thank You, Lord, for my fine looks

But I just thank You, Father

For making me 'me'

If I were a wiggily worm

I'd thank You, Lord, that I could squirm

And if I were a billy goat

I'd thank You, Lord, for my strong throat

And if I were a fuzzy-wuzzy bear

I'd thank You, Lord, for my fuzzy-wuzzy hair

But I just thank You, Father

For making me 'me'

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=imO2NiKo_AQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DimO2NiKo_AQ Video of Song

External Resources

NPWRC Picture and information on butterflies in United States by state.

Wildlife Website Picture and information on butterflies in Canada.

Bible Gateway New International Version

Enchanted Learning Picture of butterflies, life cycle and pictures to color.

KFW-Adventurers Adventurer Manual

http://www.wholesomewords.org/children/creation.html The Lovely Monarch Butterfly Part 1 & 2

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/bugs-kids/butterflies-kids/ Video on butterfly life cycle