Life of a Butterfly [antikvár]

mv: Butterflies are one of the most delightful signs of summer. They flit like gaily-coloured thistledown from flower to flower, alighting only briefly before going on to the next. A very long time ago caterpillars and butterflies were thought to be two entirely unrelated creatures. People believed that butterflies were really witches, and that they stole butter and milk. Then it was reahzed that caterpillars and butterflies were in fact the same creatures but simply at different stages of development. Even now it is hard to believe that a plain and bristly caterpillar can develop into something as exquisite as a butterfly. The process of transformation, or metamorphosis, is exactly the same for most other insects, but none other is as delicate or as brilliantly coloured as the butterfly. The life-cycle of the butterfly starts with the egg. Out of the egg emerges a tiny larva, or caterpillar, with a huge appetite. It eats and eats the whole day long, growing steadily fatter and larger. In fact it grows so rapidly that on three separate occasions it bursts its skin. The larva then goes through a period of rest when it becomes a pupa or chrysalis. This is the final phase of its development during which it undergoes a miraculous change. Having entered its cocoon as an ugly caterpillar it at last emerges as a beautiful adult butterfly. The butterfly family is very large. It includes the peacock butterfly which lives not only in the country but in towns as well. It can be recognized by its rust-red colouring and the four prominent multi-coloured eye-spots on the wings; these resemble the markings on a peacock's tail feathers, which is why it was given its name. In this book we will follow its life-cycle and examine every stage of its remarkable development.