What exactly are butterflies?

                                                     Butterflies

What exactly are butterflies? A  butterfly is an insect that has 6 legs and 4 wings. They eat nectar from certain plants, rotting fruits, bird droppings and animal dung which is known as bird and animal poop.

Butterflies taste with their feet, they don't have any mouth to eat or chew but instead they have to stand on their food to suck nectar or juices.  They also don't have a nose, they breathe through a series of small openings along the sides of their bodies called ‘Spiracles’. Leading them to smell through their antennas.

A butterfly can live up to 12 months, their natural habitat is living in meadows, grasslands, roadsides or near milkweed plants.

Scientist say that butterfly wings are transparent, they say that because they barely reflect to any light. It is also because it is harder for the prey to attack or catch butterflies. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies around the world, the most common are monarch butterflies.

When butterflies lay their eggs, they lay it on a certain plant. When it is born, it becomes a new generation, and travels the distance of 4000 km completing the cycle.

WALT: Structure of an explanation.