Butterfly Moth - description, habitat, species

The motley wing was given such a name for a reason. And her behavior has nothing to do with it. Everything is much simpler. This butterfly is a vivid representative of seasonal dimorphism, it was thanks to it that scientists gave this name. This species can form an infinite number of forms of local significance, but at the same time, the constancy of the two main remains unchanged.

Description

The average wing size is up to 4 cm. The front wing of this insect is from 15 to 22 mm.

In nature, they exist in special forms:

1. Spring generation. It differs not in such large sizes and color of wings. Above they have yellow-orange or red tones, black spots are located on the background of them. Below on an orange background is a white pattern, very much like a net; It is worth folding the wings, and it is almost invisible.
2. Summertime. Larger individuals. The color difference is very contrasting. It is dark, almost black, and only yellow and orange spots remain, as well as white or pale yellow stripes.

A third generation may also form, which is very similar to the generation of the spring period. This is expressed in color. The wings retain a dark pattern.

The summer winged wing is very unusual in that, having only two main forms, she managed to form many local ones. But the person liked to experiment due to the fact that if you create different thermal conditions for the pupae, it is possible to observe interesting thermal forms.

They have a day lifestyle, as the night air is too cold for them.

Habitat

Taiga northern places and especially dry steppe zones do not attract this butterfly. Therefore, in some places in Russia and Ukraine it is not. Only at the mouth of the Dnieper, in the regions of the Kherson region, one can occasionally meet this species, but in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus and the Carpathians there are a lot of them.

The multicolor wing settles in places rich in meadow zones or along river banks. In forests of various types he chooses an edge. It settles on wastelands, beams covered with shrubs and along roadsides, it feels comfortable in gardens. If a butterfly of this species lives in mountainous terrain, it does not rise above 1,400 m above sea level. The main thing is that the places are moist and closed from the sun.

Biological data

The development of the multicolor wing occurs in two generations. Dates of summer vary:

• the first decade begins in April, and ends in June;
• the second lasts from July to August.

Lay in the form of eggs. They are stored on the lower surface of the leaves, glued to each other. Moreover, this forms a kind of chain, which contains from 5 to 15 eggs. You can recognize them by their oval shape and greenish color. When the first chain appeared, the female tirelessly forms a new one. So one leaf can withstand more than 100 eggs. After 6 days, offspring will appear. Here is such an unusual hospital on a small sheet.

Caterpillars of the first generation are gradually developing and gaining strength. This period lasts from May to September. They have a black-brown color. They find a fodder plant, and everyone begins to eat it together. Usually the caterpillars live in a whole colony, without spreading anywhere from each other until the fourth molt occurs. Then the time is right for them to live alone. The caterpillar development period lasts for four weeks.

Before turning into a chrysalis, they again find a fodder plant or other reliable shelter.The doll should attach itself to the very top of the abdomen. Then hangs upside down and waits in the wings.

The offspring of the second generation is characterized in that the pupae hibernate. Therefore, you can see them so early: in the spring you can already see the fluttering lovely mottilla, which differs in its typical form. But it can also happen that from the first generation, the pupae also wait for the cold season and butterflies with the same typical shape also appear in spring.

Caterpillars most often feed on plants that belong to the feed group, and also prefer dioecious or stinging nettles. Butterflies collect the nectar of various herbaceous plants or shrubs, and feed on them.

Males zealously guard their territory. If he settles in a clearing, he constantly flies around it, and if another male has appeared, he can enter into a duel with him, and then sits down to rest on a protruding plant, so that he can again begin patrolling.