Curious About Butterflies

PODCAST 206: CURIOUS ABOUT BUTTERFLIES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT COCKROACHES ALL THE WAY BACK IN EPISODE 117, ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO.  COCKROACHES ARE INSECTS THAT PEOPLE AREN’T USUALLY DELIGHTED TO SEE.  TODAY, WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT ANOTHER FASCINATING INSECT, BUT THE ONE WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT TODAY USUALLY BRING JOY TO EVERYONE THAT SEES ONE.  

O:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

“HEY OLIVIA AND JACOB.  MY NAME IS JENNA AND I PICK UP MY TWO COUSINS, SADIE, AGE 7, AND AUSTIN, AGE 4, FROM SCHOOL.  WE LIVE IN TEMPLE, TEXAS AND WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST!  SADIE IS CURIOUS ABOUT FLAMINGOS, PILLOWS, AND BUTTERFLIES.  SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHY FLAMINGOS ARE PINK, HOW PILLOWS ARE MADE, AND HOW BUTTERFLIES GET WINGS.  AUSTIN IS CURIOUS ABOUT MONSTER TRUCKS AND TRACTORS.  HE WANTS TO KNOW HOW MONSTER TRUCKS JUMP OVER CARS AND HOW TRACTORS WORK.  THANK YOU FOR MAKING SUCH A WONDERFUL PODCAST THAT WE CAN LISTEN TO ON THE WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.  WE LOVE Y’ALL!”

“THIS IS A QUESTION FROM 7 YEAR OLD RAYAN, WHO LIVES IN WATERLOO, CANADA.  WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTTERFLY AND MOTH?  RYAN LISTENS TO CURIOUS KID EVERY NIGHT AT BEDTIME, AND REALLY LOVES THE SHOW.  THANK YOU, CURIOUS KID.”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB, OUR NAMES ARE ADA, AGE 7, AND NEIL, AGE 9, AND MOM, JAIME.  WE LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL EVERY MORNING.  ADA IS CURIOUS ABOUT BUTTERFLIES, FLOWERS, AND COWS.  NEIL IS CURIOUS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL.  HE ALREADY KNOWS ONE WAY TO TIME TRAVEL - SPECIAL RELATIVITY.  HE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT THE RATIO OF SPEED TO TIME TRAVEL SPEED IS.  THANKS.”

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA!  THIS IS JADA, AGE 11, JAIRUS, AGE 9, AND JACK, AGE 3.  WE LIVE AT CHURCH CAMP IN ILLINOIS.  WE ARE A HOMESCHOOLING FAMILY AND WE LOVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST DURING OUR LUNCH BREAK!  JADA IS CURIOUS ABOUT BUTTERFLIES, FABRIC, AND HOW CLOTHES ARE MADE.  JAIRUS IS CURIOUS ABOUT ROCKETS AND THE BRAIN.  JACK IS CURIOUS ABOUT SPIDER-MAN AND SUPERHEROES.  THANKS FOR ALL THE FUN EPISODES!”

O:  WOW, THAT WAS AMAZING.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUTTERFLIES FOR SADIE, AUSTIN, RAYAN, ADA, NEIL, JADA, JAIRUS, AND JACK.  BUTTERFLIES ARE SUPER FASCINATING AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO KNOW ABOUT THEM, SO LET’S GET STARTED.  

D:  YOU KNOW WHAT?  I THINK RAYAN HAD A GREAT IDEA FOR A QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?

O:  I TOTALLY AGREE.  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTTERFLY AND A MOTH?

D:  BUTTERFLIES ARE BEAUTIFUL, AND WE ARE SO LUCKY TO SEE THEM PRETTY OFTEN WHERE WE LIVE IN NEW JERSEY.  

O:  BUTTERFLIES DON’T ALWAYS LOOK THAT WAY, THOUGH.  THEY DON’T ALWAYS FLY AROUND WITH THEIR BRIGHTLY COLORED WINGS.  BUTTERFLIES HAVE A COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS BEFORE THEY TURN INTO BUTTERFLIES.  

D:  METAMORPHOSIS IS A BIG WORD, AND IT COMES FROM GREEK.  IT MEANS A CHANGE IN SHAPE OR A TRANSFORMATION.  SOME INSECTS, LIKE COCKROACHES, DRAGONFLIES, AND GRASSHOPPERS UNDERGO AN INCOMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS.

O:  WHEN THOSE INSECTS ARE YOUNG THEY ARE CALLED NYMPHS.  THE NYMPHS LOOK LIKE VERY SMALL VERSIONS OF THE FULLY GROWN INSECT AND THEY DON’T HAVE WINGS.

D:  BUT THERE ARE OTHER INSECTS, INCLUDING BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, FLIES, AND BEES THAT DO A COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS.  WHEN THESE INSECTS ARE YOUNG, THEY LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE FULLY GROWN VERSION OF THE SAME INSECT.  

O:  THE METAMORPHOSIS OF A BUTTERFLY HAS FOUR STAGES.  THE FIRST IS EGG, THEN IS LARVA, NEXT IS PUPA, AND THE FINAL STAGE IS ADULT.  

D:  AN ADULT FEMALE BUTTERFLY WILL LAY EGGS, USUALLY A LOT OF THEM, ON PLANTS.  EVEN THOUGH LOTS OF EGGS ARE LAID, NOT ALL OF THEM WILL SURVIVE.  

O:  THE EGGS ARE REALLY TINY, AND THEY ARE OFTEN LAID BETWEEN THE SEASONS OF SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL.  

D:  NEXT UP IS STAGE 2:  LARVA.  THIS STAGE IS AWESOME.  IN THE CASE OF THE BUTTERFLY, AND THE MOTH, THIS STAGE STARTS OUT AS A TINY CATERPILLAR THAN EMERGES FROM THE EGG.  

O:  THE CATERPILLAR WILL EAT… A LOT!  THEY EAT SO MUCH THAT THEY CAN GROW AS BIG AS 100 TIMES THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE.  THEY GROW SO MUCH THAT THEY WILL SPLIT AND SHED THEIR SKIN ABOUT 5 TIMES DURING THIS STAGE.  

D:  WHEN THE CATERPILLAR GROWS TO IT’S LARGEST SIZE IT WILL STOP EATING AND TURN INTO A PUPA.  IN THE CASE OF BUTTERFLIES, THE PUPA GOES BY ANOTHER AWESOME NAME WHICH IS CHRYSALIS.  

O:  THE CHRYSALIS WILL USUALLY HANG FROM SOMEWHERE, LIKE A TREE BRANCH.  THIS STAGE, WHEN THE CATERPILLAR TRANSITIONS TO A BUTTERFLY CAN TAKE A FEW WEEKS TO A FEW MONTHS.  IN THIS STAGE, AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING INSIDE THE CHRYSALIS.  THE LARVA CELLS ARE GROWING QUICKLY AND BECOMING BUTTERFLY FEATURES LIKE EYES, LEGS, AND WINGS.  

D:  AFTER SOME TIME, THE CHRYSALIS WILL BREAK OPEN, AND A BUTTERFLY WILL EMERGE.  THE BUTTERFLY LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE CATERPILLAR.  CATERPILLARS HAVE TINY LEGS AND SHORT ANTENNAE.  BUTTERFLIES HAVE LONG LEGS AND LONG ANTENNAE.  

O:  THERE ARE OTHER OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BUTTERFLY AND CATERPILLAR.  BUTTERFLIES CAN FLY, AND CATERPILLARS ARE UNABLE TO FLY.  CATERPILLARS CAN GROW, BUT BUTTERFLIES ARE UNABLE TO GROW.  

D:  THE CATERPILLARS JOB WAS TO EAT.  THE JOB OF A BUTTERFLY IS VERY DIFFERENT.  IT’S JOB IS TO FLY AROUND AND LOOK FOR A GREAT PLACE TO LAY EGGS, STARTING THE COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS ALL OVER FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.  BUTTERFLIES HAVE A VERY FASCINATING LIFE CYCLE, FROM EGG TO BUTTERFLY.  

O:  AND, THERE IS SO MUCH MORE THAT’S FASCINATING ABOUT BUTTERFLIES.  DID YOU KNOW THAT BUTTERFLIES TASTE WITH THEIR FEET?

D:  THAT’S INCREDIBLE.  I’M GLAD I CAN’T DO THE SAME THING, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, I’D BE TASTING MY SOCKS, AND I BET THAT WOULDN’T TASTE GOOD.

O:  BUTTERFLIES CAN ONLY FEAST ON LIQUIDS AND CAN’T EAT ANYTHING THAT’S SOLID.

D:  INSTEAD OF A MOUTH WITH TEETH LIKE OTHER ANIMALS HAVE, BUTTERFLIES HAVE MOUTHPARTS CALLED A PROBOSCIS, WHICH ACTS KIND OF LIKE A STRAW, ALLOWING THE BUTTERFLY TO SIP ON SOMETHING YUMMY, LIKE NECTAR.

O:  HOW ABOUT THIS FOR AN INTERESTING FACT?  BUTTERFLIES CAN’T FLY IF THEIR TOO COLD.

D:  BUTTERFLIES LOVE IT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS ABOUT 85 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.  THEY CAN’T FLY WHEN IT’S TOO COLD BECAUSE THEY ARE COLD BLOODED ANIMALS.  THAT MEANS THAT THEY CAN’T REGULATE THEIR OWN BODY TEMPERATURES.

O:  HUMANS, ON THE OTHER HAND ARE WARM BLOODED.  WHETHER WE ARE OUTSIDE ON A SUPER HOT DAY, OR A FREEZING COLD DAY, OUR BODIES WILL MAINTAIN A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 98.6 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.  

D:  BUTTERFLIES CAN’T DO THAT, SO WHEN IT GETS TOO COLD, LIKE 55 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR COLDER, THEY CAN’T EVEN MOVE.  IDEAL TEMPERATURES FOR A BUTTERFLY ARE BETWEEN 80 AND 100 DEGREES.  

O:  BUTTERFLIES ALSO HAVE SOME TRICKS TO AVOID BEING EATEN.

D:  BUTTERFLIES DON’T EAT OTHER ANIMALS, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL ANIMALS THAT ENJOY EATING BUTTERFLIES, SO THEY NEED TO DO THINGS TO SURVIVE.  ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS TO CAMOUFLAGE INTO THEIR SURROUNDINGS BY FOLDING IN THEIR WINGS, MAKING THEM HARD TO SEE.  SOMETIMES, BUTTERFLIES WILL TAKE THE OPPOSITE APPROACH, AND SPREAD THEIR COLORFUL WINGS.  MANY INSECTS THAT HAVE BRIGHT COLORS ARE TOXIC IF EATEN, SO ANIMALS WILL OFTEN STAY AWAY FROM BRIGHTLY COLORED INSECTS.  

O:  HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW MUCH A BUTTERFLY WEIGHS?  LET’S TAKE THE BIGGEST BUTTERFLY OUT THERE, THE QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S BIRDWING.  THAT’S AN INTERESTING NAME.  THESE BUTTERFLIES HAVE A WINGSPAN OF ALMOST 10 INCHES, AND THEY WEIGHT BETWEEN 2 AND 3 GRAMS.  THAT IS LESS THAN ONE-TENTH OF A SINGLE OUNCE.  

D:  JUST TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE IT’S A TINY NUMBER, IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 11,000 QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S BIRDWING BUTTERFLIES, WHICH ARE THE LARGEST BUTTERFLIES IN THE WORLD, TO MATCH THE WEIGHT OF ONLY ONE OLIVIA.  THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY, WHICH IS PERHAPS THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE SPECIES OF BUTTERFLY, IS A BIT SMALLER AND WEIGHS LESS.  IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 50,000 MONARCH BUTTERFLIES TO MATCH OLIVIA’S WEIGHT.  THAT IS UNREAL.  

OKAY OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTTERFLY AND A MOTH?

O:  THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO.  THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND FOR ME IS THAT BUTTERFLIES USUALLY HAVE WINGS WITH BRILLIANT COLORS, MEANWHILE MOTHS HAVE WINGS THAT ARE USUALLY BROWN OR BEIGE.  

D:  THERE IS ALSO MORE DIVERSITY WHEN IT COMES TO MOTHS.

O:  THERE ARE ABOUT 160,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF MOTHS AND ONLY ABOUT 11,000 SPECIES OF BUTTERFLIES.  

D:  THERE IS ALSO A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY THEY TRANSFORM FROM A CATERPILLAR.  WE ALREADY LEARNED ABOUT THE CHRYSALIS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY OPEN TO REVEAL A BUTTERFLY.  THE CHRYSALIS IS HARD AND SMOOTH.

O:  INSTEAD OF A CHRYSALIS, MOTHS ARE FORMED IN SOMETHING CALLED A COCOON.  THE COCOON IS WRAPPED IN SILK.  

D:  THEY ALSO HAVE OTHER DIFFERENCES, LIKE THE SHAPE OF A BUTTERFLY’S ANTENNAE ARE THIN, WHEREAS MOTH ANTENNAE ARE FEATHERY.    

O:  THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL QUOTE FROM MAYA ANGELOU ABOUT BUTTERFLIES THAT I’D LOVE TO SHARE:  “WE DELIGHT IN THE BEAUTY OF THE BUTTERFLY, BUT RARELY ADMIT TO THE CHANGES IT HAS GONE THROUGH TO ACHIEVE THAT BEAUTY.”  

D:  THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL QUOTE THAT REMINDS US NOT TO JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER, AND IT’S A GREAT WAY TO END THIS EPISODE.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.  

O:  206 - BUTTERFLIES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB SADIE, AUSTIN, RAYAN, ADA, NEIL, JADA, JAIRUS, AND JACK FOR THE IRRESISTIBLE METAMORPHOLOGICAL EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  WE HAVE A FEW SUPER AWESOME LISTENERS TO THANK BEFORE WE GO.

O:  THANKS TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, HANS C. AND EVERETT V.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO HANS AND EVERETT FOR THE SUPPORT.  OUR PATREON SUPPORTERS HAVE LOTS OF BEHIND THE SCENES ACCESS TO OUR PODCAST, AND THEY GET AN EXTRA CURRENT EVENTS EPISODE EACH AND EVERY MONTH.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT GROWING PAINS FOR LISTENERS IN CALIFORNIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.