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Butterflies are insects.
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A butterfly’s lifecycle is made up of four parts, egg, larva (caterpillars), pupa (chrysalis) and adult.
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Butterflies attach their eggs to leaves with a special glue.
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Most caterpillars are plant eaters (herbivores).
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Fully grown caterpillars attach themselves to a suitable twig or leaf before shedding their outside layer of skin to reveal a hard skin underneath known as a chrysalis.
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An adult butterfly will eventually emerge from the chrysalis where it will wait a few hours for its wings to fill with blood and dry, before flying for the first time.
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Butterflies can live in the adult stage from anywhere between a week and a year, depending on the species.
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Butterflies have four wings.
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Butterflies often have brightly coloured wings with unique patterns made up of tiny scales.
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Most butterflies feed on nectar from flowers.
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Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet.
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Scientists estimate that there are between 15000 and 20000 different species of butterfly.
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Birdwing butterflies have large, angular wings and fly in a similar way to birds.
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Monarch butterflies are known for their long migration. Every year monarch butterflies will travel a great distance (sometimes over 4000 km), females will lay eggs and a new generation of monarchs will travel back, completing the cycle.