ACTIVITY 2

On the Wing

Teaching Objectives:

1. Students will observe that different species of butterflies have different design patterns in their wings.
2. Students will design their own butterfly wing pattern.
3. Students will learn the meaning of the term "mimicry."
4. Students will understand the concept of "Batesian mimicry" by comparing the Monarch Butterfly to the Viceroy Butterfly.

Materials Needed:

• Pictures of different butterfly species from books, magazines, posters, or the Internet
• Pictures of monarch butterflies and viceroy butterflies
• Actual specimens of butterflies collected or ordered from
• Biological Supply Houses
• "Mating Strategies in Butterflies" from Scientific American, July 1998, an article that discusses sexual differences in butterfly wing coloration
• The Butterfly Alphabet by Kjell B. Sandved (1996)
• Magnifying glasses
• Posterboard
• Crayons or markers
• Scissors

Procedure:

Look at as many butterflies or pictures of butterflies as the class can find. Discuss the patterns in the wings of these butterflies. See if any recognizable shapes can be found in any of the wing patterns, such as letters of the alphabet or animal faces. Use magnifying glasses to look at the actual specimens close up. Use the book The Butterfly Alphabet as a resource. In the book, the author Kjell B. Sandved shows the letters of the alphabet as they appear in the wing patterns of specific butterfly a nd moth species.

Define the term mimicry: the close outward resemblance of an animal to a different one or to its environment, especially for protection or concealment.(1) Compare this idea to the wearing of camouflage clothing in order to blend into the background in the woods. Some insects that camouflage themselves as other things are thornbugs which resemble the thorns on a plant that predators will avoid eating, the cocoon of the swallowtail butterfly which resembles a dead twig, and the leaf butterfly which has wings that look like dead leaves.

Define the term Batesian mimicry: characterized by or being mimicry involving resemblance of a harmless species to another that is protected from predators by repellent qualities.(2) Syrphid flies have black and yellow bands and look like stinging bees. Predators avoid them even though the flies themselves cannot sting.

In the insect world, another example of Batesian mimicry involves the monarch butterfly and the vicerory butterfly. The monarch butterfly feeds on milkweed plants which have toxins in them that cause the butterflies to have a disagreeable taste when eaten. The bright colors of the monarch remind any predator that eats one of its disagreeable taste. Viceroy butterflies are one species of butterfly that mimics the coloration of the monarch and are, therefore, also protected from predators. Have the students compare and contrast the coloration patterns of monarch butterflies and viceroy butterflies.

Ask each student to design a butterfly. This activity might be done in conjunction with Activity 1: Butterflies--Lines of Symmetry. Students should design their butterflies with at least one bilaterally symmetrical element. Display the butterflies around the room when completed.

Supplemental Activities:

Create a mural on one wall of the classroom or hallway and glue the class's butterflies to the mural for a 3-D effect.

Get a large bush in a container, or locate several defoliated branches, spray them with white paint, and put them in a container. Make a "butterfly tree" and put it in the classroom.

Have the students incorporate a secret design (e.g., a bird, initials, school mascot) in the wings of their butterflies and challenge their classmates to determine what the design is.

Take the finished butterflies to a nursing home for the residents to enjoy.

(1) Thorndike, E. L., and Barnhart, Clarence L. Thorndike-Barnhart Student Dictionary. Updated Version. Glenview, Illinois: HarperCollins, 1997.

(2) Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 10th edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1996.