10 Fun & Interesting Facts about Butterflies that Will Surprise You

There are over 20,000 species of Butterfly and each one of them is unique and special. 

As a teacher insects and the life cycle of butterflies and moths is something we studied.  They are beautiful creatures and have inspired my collections of Leather Butterfly products.

Below are some fun and interesting facts about butterflies I learned along the way.

 

Intertwined among the facts you will also find some leather butterfly products that were inspired by these amazing creatures.

5 Fun & Interesting Facts about Butterflies that will Surprise You

  1. Butterflies are cold-blooded so they need to stay warm to fly.  That’s why you will only see butterflies fluttering around on days that are warm.  They will often sit basking in the sun soaking up the warmth.

2. Butterflies do not sleep, they only rest.  They fold their wings in half when resting.

A moth folds one wing over the other when at rest.

Which is which?

 

3. The wings of a butterfly are transparent, so you can see through them.  Their wings are made of tiny hairlike scales that reflect different colors making amazing patterns on them.

4. Did you know that butterflies are similar to crabs and snails because their bodies are all made out of chitin?  Chitin is waterproof and strong so it protects them from being damaged.

5. Butterflies use their feet to taste and smell things. A butterflies touch receptors are also located on its feet and legs.

Real Butterflies that Inspired the Leather Butterfly Collections

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5 More Fun & Interesting Butterfly Facts that you Never Knew

6. Butterflies do not eat anything, they can only drink.  They drink through a nose-like tube called a  proboscis. Nectar and fruit are some of their favorites.

Butterflies frequently drink from puddles to obtain needed nutrients such as salt and other minerals.

7. When a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis the proboscis is divided in half.  The butterfly has to roll and unroll the proboscis several times for the tube shape to form.

Queen Alexandra's birdwing

8. Butterflies come in all sizes.  They can be smaller than a dime and as large as a dinner plate.  

The Queens Alexandra’s birdwing is the largest species, and the Western pygmy blue is the smallest.

Western pygmy blue

9. Most animals use camouflage to hide from their enemies, but many butterflies do the opposite.  While the underside of their wings is dull to help them camouflage while resting, the top has large spots that look like eyes.  These fake eyes make the butterfly appear to be much larger and trick their predator into thinking they’re more dangerous.

10. Which is faster a butterfly or a horse?

Skippers are a species of extremely fast butterflies.

Skippers can actually fly faster than a horse can run!  That’s one fast butterfly! 

Leather Collections Inspired by Butterflies

Butterfly Earrings
butterfly-stick-barrette
Butterfly Hair Clips & Stick Barrettes
leather-butterfly-necklace
Butterfly Necklaces
butterfly-key-rings
Butterfly Key Rings
Butterfly Dream Catchers
butterfly-bookmarks
Butterfly Bookmarks

To learn more about my products and to get a behind-the-scenes look at how they’re made and what inspires them,  click on the links below.