Insects, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 2, 2015

Monarch Butterflies Considered for Endangered Species Status

The monarch butterfly, once common across the United States, could soon end up on the Endangered Species List. Over the next year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will determine whether the iconic black-and-orange butterflies deserve the federal protections that come with being listed an endangered or threatened species. By...

Jul 21, 2015

Beautiful Butterfly on Brink of Revival, Despite Century of Threats

Michael Sainato is a freelancer with credits including the Miami Herald, The Huffington Post and The Hill. Follow him on Twitter at @msainat1. Sainato contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Formed nearly 12,000 years ago by a receding glacial lake, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve...

Aug 2, 2015

Animal Sex: How Butterflies Do It

With their brightly colored wings and fluttering flight, butterflies are known and loved the world over. But when it comes to sex, are these insects as nurturing and gentle as they appear to be, or is there a more aggressive side to their mating? Thousands of butterfly species exist across...

Aug 10, 2015

Photos: Delicate, Disappearing Butterflies of Southern Britain

Butterflies are facing extinction in southern Britain in the next 35 years if climate change continues unmitigated and habitats are converted for human use, according to a study published today (Aug. 10) in the journal Nature Climate Change. [Read the full butterfly story here.] Green-veined Drought-sensitive green-veined white butterfly. Credit...

Aug 10, 2015

Thirsty Butterflies Disappearing from the UK

Green-veined white butterflies with pale-yellow wings, among other butterfly species, could disappear from southern Britain in the next 35 years if climate change and habitat loss continue, according to new research. The results are worrying, Tom Oliver, lead author of the study and an ecological modeler at the Centre for...

Sep 18, 2015

Nature's GMOs: Parasites Alter Butterfly Genomes Using Viruses

Genetically modified organisms may usually be thought of as human creations, but scientists now find that monarch butterflies, silkworms, and many other butterflies and moths naturally possess genes from parasitic wasps. These genes were acquired through a virus that weaves in and out of DNA, the researchers found. Butterflies and...

Oct 18, 2015

In Photos: The Spectacular Migration of Monarch Butterflies

The migration of animal species is a common natural event that happens each autumn across the North American continent. Many species of birds and even mammals, such as the great whales, travel thousands of miles to over-winter in warmer climates. Check out these photos of one of the most spectacular...

Dec 2, 2015

Sir Butterfly! New Species Named for David Attenborough

A rare Amazonian butterfly was recently named for a man who has spent much of his time surrounded by these winged critters (as well as a whole host of other animals): Sir David Attenborough. The black-eyed satyr (Euptychia attenboroughi) is a striking specimen that resides only within a 311-mile (500...

Feb 18, 2016

Swim Like a Butterfly? Sea Snail 'Flies' Through Water

Some ocean-dwelling creatures ended up with common names that seem to belong to another animal entirely: A sea cow has neither horns nor an udder. A sea lion lacks a tawny mane. And jellyfish aren't true fish at all. But the sea butterfly, a tiny marine snail, has more in...

Jun 27, 2016

Photos: Butterflies Snag Goo from Unwitting Ants

Butterflies and ants (Image credit: Phil Torres)A new study has revealed a strange relationship between an Amazonian butterfly species and its neighboring ants — the butterflies steal the ants' yummy and nutritious goo. Here's a look at the first images showing a behavior called kleptoparasitism between adult butterflies and ants....

Jun 27, 2016

Freeloading Butterflies Get Away with Theft

A bizarre Amazonian butterfly is the ultimate freeloader, researchers say. The butterfly species steals and eats gooey bamboo secretions from its ant neighbors, in a relationship known as kleptoparasitism, new research has found. They're kind of jerks at the adult stage, said study co-author Aaron Pomerantz, a field biologist at...

Mar 25, 2017

In Photos: Beautiful Butterflies of the American Deserts

Signs of spring (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)By mid-February in the three great hot and dry deserts of the American West, wildflowers turn stark desert landscapes into a sea of color. Whether it is in the low plains of Death Valley or among the saguaro forests of the...

Jul 18, 2018

Butterflies Sip Turtle Tears in Stunning Video

Video recently shot in the Peruvian Amazon shows an astonishing sight: colorful butterflies drinking tears directly from the eyes of turtles basking by the river. Phil Torres, a tropical entomologist and science communicator, was traveling down Peru's Tambopata River in early March when he spied the riverside scene and captured...

Jul 20, 2021

Monarch butterfly: Facts about the iconic migratory insects

With their bright orange hues and lengthy migration, monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are one of the world's most iconic insects. But their population has steadily dropped in recent decades as they face habitat loss and other threats. Monarch butterfly life cycleMonarchs go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and...

Sep 11, 2021

Milkweed butterflies tear open caterpillars and drink them alive

Not all caterpillars grow up to be beautiful butterflies. Some become living milkshakes for their dads, who guzzle caterpillar body fluids to attract the ladies. Recently, scientists reported the first evidence of butterflies sipping from the bodies of caterpillars — dead and alive. They observed adult milkweed butterflies in North...