Feedback from Waihi East School
Marvelous Madam Butterfly
Today Thursday 17th of May, Waihi East School had a visit by Jacqui Knight, known as madam Butterfly. She’s been studying butterflies for forty years and she has travelled all around NZ. She drove down from Russell to give us a few tips about Monarch butterflies.
She became Madam butterfly because of her passion for nature. She’s travelled to 50 schools in NZ and she says she loves doing her special presentations but only with a good audience!
She taught us about the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly.
The Maori name for Monarch butterflies is Kahuku. Monarch butterflies are in the Danaidae (milkweed butterfly family).
There are about 20,000 butterflies in the world?
The difference between female Monarchs and male Monarchs is females have wide black veins on their wings and males have thin ones. One other difference is male Monarchs have two black dots on their wings.
Butterflies’ antenna hear, smell and sense all at a time! Now we all know butterflies have terrible eye sight don’t we! Butterflies don’t have hands like humans so they have a tongue called a proboscis that they use to suck up nectar. It sounds a bit odd but Monarch butterflies taste with their feet!
Did you know that butterflies are related to moths but they’re really different because moths have feathery antenna and they form into cocoons when butterflies have sleak antenna and form into a chrysalis.
When butterflies emerge from their chrysalis on a warm sunny day before they can flutter away they have to let their wings dry!
I hope Madam Butterfly enjoyed her visit, I know we did!!!
By Abbey 10years
Waihi East School