Katie Piercy

Butterflies are incredibly important to the environment because of the services they provide. These include their work as pollinators, their ability to feed on large amounts of vegetation, and the fact that they provide food for many other animals. Powerful…

Butterflies have chemical sensors in their feet that allow them to taste the objects they land on. This helps them to know when nectar is present and choose the right plant to lay their eggs on. How do butterflies eat?…

Many species of the butterfly do migrate, such as the monarch butterfly and the painted lady. This is usually to escape poor conditions or find additional sources of food. Why do animals migrate? While humans spend their time drawing lines…

Butterflies get their colours in two ways; through pigmentation and through refraction. The first uses certain chemicals to make their wings appear in different colours, the second uses different structures to refract the light, giving off vibrant and iridescent colours.…

Butterflies have six legs, in two pairs of three arranged on either side of their thorax. While they use their wings to get about, their legs are important for standing on vegetation to feed, mate and lay eggs. Do butterflies…

The best way to create a butterfly garden is to provide the three things these colourful insects need most; food, shelter and water. From planting butterfly-friendly plants to providing a handy log pile for these sleepy insects to rest in,…