Butterflies like flowers arouse admiration for its beauty.Each country has their own ideas about the origin of these amazing creatures.In ancient Greece believed that the butterfly and the soul - is the same.And now, in the modern Greek language, they have the same name.As for Russia, the word "Butterfly" for the first time began to be used in the XVIII century.According to most scientists, it takes its name from the word "baba" - "a married woman."
Currently, most butterfly species recorded in the Red Book.I blame the man who kills his irrepressible activities their habitats.This article focuses on one of the most beautiful butterflies, which is under threat of extinction.This - the Apollo butterfly.
origin of the name
Why Apollo butterfly was named after the Greek god of light, patron of the arts, and the leader of the nine Muses, now just do not tell anyone.We can only build on this score their assumptions.The butterfly is very beautiful.Large, bright color, it is visible from afar.It prefers mountain plains.Maybe she named in honor of one of the gods because of its beauty and the fact that he loves to live closer to the sun.
Apollo Butterfly: description and lifestyle
Talking dry scientific language, Apollo - a day butterfly family sailing (Papilionidae).Full name - sailboat Apollo (Parnassius apollo).Butterfly Apollo incredibly beautiful - her translucent wings are white or cream color, decorated with large round spots.The front wings are black.Rear spots are red with a black border.This is the largest butterfly in European Russia.The scope of its wings can reach 9-10 centimeters.
Habitat - open and sun-warmed mountain plains, alpine meadows and slopes in Europe, the Ukraine, the Urals, Siberia, the Caucasus, Tien Shan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.Period of occurrence - from July to September.Apollo butterfly prefers large flowers of oregano, ragwort, likes different types of clover.Propagated Apollo almost immediately after coming out of the pupae.The female lays up to 120 eggs, each on a separate host plants.Adult caterpillars Apollo is also very beautiful.Black, like velvet, decorated with two rows of red-orange spots, they look very impressive.Caterpillar feeds on stonecrop succulent leaves, rabbit cabbage.
pupal stage lasts Apollo 1-3 weeks.Then, out of it there is a new butterfly.
Such different Apollo
insect is of great interest to naturalists because it has a huge number of species.Today it is known, at least 600 species of Apollo.
Parnassius mnemosyne clouded Apollo, or Mnemosyne - one of the most beautiful species.The snow-white wings, crystal clear at the edges, decorated only with black spots.This makes it incredibly elegant butterfly.The second of its name - black Mnemosyne, as she painted only in two colors - white and black.
Arctic Butterfly Apollo (Parnassius arcticus) - another beautiful view.It lives in the mountain tundra in Yakutia and Khabarovsk Krai.Also, it was found in the Magadan region.Wings white with small black spots.It is interesting that the plant Corydalis Gorodkova is fodder for butterflies and caterpillars Arctic Apollo.Biology of this species has not been studied because of its extreme rarity.
Apollo Butterfly: interesting facts and details
beauty of this insect admired many famous explorers and biologists who described it in the most poetic expression.Someone compared the flight of Apollo with the poetry of motion, while others called him a graceful inhabitant of the Alps.
butterfly evening descends and the night hiding in the grass.With the risk of first trying to fly, but it makes it very awkward, since bad flying.Realizing that flight can not be saved, it spreads its wings and begins to paw rub on them, producing a hissing sound.So she's trying to intimidate the enemy.Despite the reputation of the butterfly, which is not very well fly in search of food insect can fly one day to 5 kilometers.Apollo Arctic living on the border of the territory where the snow never melts.A Parnassius hannyngtoni is the highest butterfly living in the Himalayas, at an altitude of 6000 meters above sea level.
threat of extinction of the most beautiful butterflies of Russia and Europe
the middle of the XX century apollo completely disappeared in Moscow, Smolensk, Tambov regions.In almost all countries of their habitat butterfly entered in the Red Book as a threatened species.The reasons for the disappearance of many of Apollo.First of all, it is the destruction of human feeding areas.Another reason - a narrow specialization butterfly caterpillars.They can only eat stonecrop.In addition, they are very capricious and sensitive to the sun.Eat only when the sun shines.Should he go to the clouds - all caterpillars have and refuse to come down from the plant to the ground.
largest butterfly is very noticeable on the slopes.Moreover, as already mentioned, Apollo bad flying.He does it as if reluctantly, barely flapping their wings, and often dropping down to rest.Therefore, it is easy prey for humans.
now taking steps to restore the population of Apollo, but so far they have not yielded any significant results.To butterfly is no longer considered an endangered species, for it is necessary to set up special feeding areas and the existence of certain conditions.
