Butterfly Figurines | ||||||||
| ||||||||
Butterfly Wall Decor
| Large Butterfly Wall Decor
| Butterfly Lady Garden Statue
| ||||||
Butterfly Man Garden Statue
| Buttefly House Flag
| Butterfly Garden Stone
| ||||||
Glass Butterfly Figurine
| Small Glass Butterflies
| Blue Butterfly Wind Spinner
| ||||||
Gold Butterfly Wind Spinner
| Red Butterfly Wind Spinner
| Butterfly Wall Decoration
| ||||||
Butterfly Wall Hanging
| Butterfly Under Glass
| Butterfly Welcome Sign
| ||||||
Butterfly Wind Chime
| ||||||||
Butterfly FigurinesWhen you strip away all the color and glamour, what you have is your basic insect: six legs, antennae, and a body divided into a head, thorax and abdomen. Then you go to the “accessories”, which break insects down into 30 orders according to their wing structure, each distinguished by their own particular features. In the case of butterflies, they belong to the order “Lepidoptera”, because they have minute scales on their wings. At times, people confuse moths with butterflies, but there are two ways in which they differ. One, the butterfly is the more brightly patterned, but some moths are also very attractive, although not as brilliant. And secondly, the antennae of a butterfly resembles something like a golf club: a long filament, with an end like a club. On the other hand, moths have a variety of antennae, from a plain filament, to what appears to be split or multiple filaments, and even hairy antennae. Another tip, if you are trying to decide whether you’re looking at a butterfly or moth, is that butterflies, unless disturbed at night, are solely a daylight flyer. After dark, they retreat to a tree or plant, and hang from the underside of leaves. Moths tend to be active at night. But of course, there is the occasional exception to both. Butterflies make an exciting addition to any garden or yard. Around the world there are more than 28,000 species, although only 727 are found in Canada and the U.S. Arizona has the largest variety, recording 220 species. The largest portion, 80% of all species, are found in the tropics, where they can fulfill their life cycle year round, as opposed to the seasonal changes present in the northern hemisphere. The rarest of all butterfly species is the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae), found only in the rain forests of New Guinea, which means it is now threatened with extinction due to the destruction of its habitat. The most common butterfly is the Cabbage White, which most people mistake for a moth. The origin of the name for this lovely creature is somewhat murky. In Anglo-Saxon times, the word was “butterfloege”, and at that time, the most common variety was the yellow brimstone butterfly. Over in the “new world” of America, stories were woven about witches who grew wings at night and stole butter. That tale may possibly have grown out of the ethnic culture of immigrants, where the names for butterflies literally translated to “milk licker” or “milk thief”. You can add butterflies to your garden, simply by planting the flowers they love best, and from which they get the nectar that is their food source. Single blossoms are preferred over multiple, and planting in groups with a single color seems to attract them more than assorted clumps. Butterflies also appreciate a standing source of water, such as a shallow dish buried in the dirt of the garden, where they can sip and draw on the minerals. In your home, butterfly figurines can add a dimension of the mysterious and fairy-like quality that they lend to outdoor flowerbeds. A work of art in nature, many artisans now reproduce the dazzling variety of butterflies on sun-catchers, print blankets, calendars, and placemats. The delicacy of their wings poised for flight have been painstakingly reproduced in glass, crystals, metal, stone and ceramic butterfly figurines that will lend a touch of Spring to any room, even in the middle of winter. Butterfly Bits
| ||||||||
