Invertebrates

1. Invertebrates 7. Butterflies and Moths

2. You see an insect with colorful wings resting on a flower Is it a butterfly or a moth?

3. If you see it during the day, It is probably a butterfly Most moths fly only at night

4. A butterfly’s body is thin and smooth A moth’s body is thick and furry

5. Butterflies hold their wings straight up Moths spread their wings out flat

6. But butterflies and moths are alike in two (2) ways Both have wings covered with colorful scales

7. Both have long, rolled-up tongues They use their tongues to drink nectar from flowers

8. As they feed, they carry pollen from one flower to another This helps seeds and fruit to grow

9. Female moths and butterflies lay eggs on leaves or stems The eggs hatch into caterpillars

10. Vocabulary: caterpillars The wormlike stage of a butterfly or moth

11. The caterpillars most important job is to eat Caterpillars feed mostly on leaves

12. In fact, a tree may die if caterpillars eat many of its leaves

13. Caterpillars that become moths change inside a cocoon of silk Vocabulary: cocoon The silk covering that some caterpillars make before becoming a moth

14. The silkworm moth makes its cocoon from one silk thread that is 1,000 yards long People use this thread to make silk cloth

15. Most caterpillars that become butterflies do not make a cocoon Instead the skin becomes a hard case

16. The caterpillar becomes a pupa Vocabulary: pupa A stage in the life of a caterpillar when the skin gets hard

17. Inside the pupa, wings grow Soon an adult butterfly comes out

19. Painted Lady Butterfly Pupate