Speckled butterfly - description, habitat, species

Most butterflies found in nature have a bright color. Speckled is no exception. She has a rather interesting and attractive color. But behind the external beauty lies a pronounced cunning. The fact is that it is a pest of fruit crops. Besides the fact that they feed on nectar and caterpillars, they also mercilessly destroy fruit trees. If this butterfly appeared on the site, it is necessary to take all measures to protect plants from it. It just needs to be destroyed by all available means.

general description

The family, which includes the butterfly, is of the same name. It’s scary to even think, but it includes about 1000 species of this pest. The butterfly is impressed by the climate with warm and humid air. Therefore, the tropical habitat is its predominant habitat. In areas with a temperate climate in our country, you can find about 50 species of such a butterfly. Most, but not all, representatives are pests of garden plants.

The butterfly has a very bright, impressive color. Yellow or blood-red spots are randomly scattered on the surface of black or blue wings. It is rare to find such insects that have a uniform color. It was not by chance that nature awarded the butterfly with such a color. All poisonous insects, as a rule, have a bright color. It is, as it were, a warning to numerous enemies.

It is not recommended to make friendship with this butterfly, and even more so to communicate with it. She in her body is able to accumulate various toxic compounds, one of which is hydrocyanic acid. If any insect wants a dish in the shape of this butterfly for lunch, nothing good will be expected. It can just be poisoned.

But this is not the only way to protect against enemies. It can release a substance that emits a strong unpleasant odor. It contains poison. This circumstance allows the butterfly to behave quite calmly in the wild. She feeds on plant nectar through her proboscis. However, she does not seem to worry about her safety. There are no scales on the proboscis. The head is equipped with antennae that resemble a spindle. But they can also have a different shape, for example, resembling a comb.

A characteristic feature of this species is the chetozem with its location on the head. It is a cluster of bristles. Its main purpose is to sensory perception of everything that surrounds a butterfly.

Main types

In the wild, speckles can be found in the following forms:

1. Grape type. It lives in areas located near the sea. The wings are dark green with a bronze tint, which is clearly expressed in the rays of the sun. Despite the fact that the butterfly is very modest in size, it is a real thunderstorm in the vineyards. From this, in fact, its name came about. The caterpillar has a brown-yellow color, the length of which does not exceed 2 cm. It uses juicy grape leaves for nutrition, causing quite noticeable damage to this vine.
2. Clover type. From the name it is clear that in its diet such a butterfly mainly uses clover. But alfalfa is also quite suitable for her. In size, it is somewhat larger than the previous species. Such a butterfly is poisonous due to the content of hydrocyanic acid salts in its body. She is most active at the very beginning of summer.
3. Purple mottled. It is medium in size. Such a butterfly is most active in the first two months of summer. For nutrition, it prefers plants such as thyme and thyme.
4. Meadowsweet motley. This species has the greatest distribution. The front wings are black.A slight metallic sheen is characteristic. Large spots with bright red color are located on the wings. The butterfly caterpillar is small in size with a dense body that is covered by hairs. The caterpillar is able to accumulate cyanides. If one of the animals swallows it, then it can simply be poisoned.

There is also a false motley, which in appearance has a great resemblance to a true representative. She is a member of the Lat family. It includes approximately 3,000 representatives. Vital activity is associated with a daily lifestyle. When collecting nectar from plants, they are collected in small flocks. Unlike the real one, false motley pest is not a pest.

Nature behavior

The most active motley show in the afternoon. However, some species are nocturnal. Many probably had to see how a lantern surrounds a large number of butterflies. This is motley. The fact is that they are very attracted to light. Quick motley can not be called even with a big stretch. Their flight is slow, in which they behave extremely awkwardly.

Speckling carries eggs on the underside of the leaf. The eggs are painted yellow. After 10 days, small caterpillars emerge from the eggs, the body of which is covered with bristles.