Butterfly Structure and Function

In the previous lesson, students observe how butterflies change as they grow. In this lesson, they create a model of an adult butterfly, exploring the relationship between a butterfly’s different body parts and its ability to get what it needs from the environment to survive.  

• Because they are animals, butterflies have body parts to help them survive in their environment.

• What food do butterflies eat?
• What body part helps butterflies eat nectar?
• How does nectar help butterflies survive?
• How do butterflies find food?
• Where are the antennae, eyes, and proboscis located on butterflies?
• What other body part helps butterflies eat once they find food?  
• Where does the food go in a butterfly’s body once it eats?
  
  

Misconception: Animals don’t need plants to survive.

Fact: Animals cannot live without plants. Plants give animals food and shelter.

Misconception: Plants don’t need animals to survive.

Fact: Plants and animals depend on each other. One reason that many plants need animals is for pollination.

Abdomen: the back segment of an insect where the stomach is

Antennae:  body parts of insects that are used to smell, touch, and taste things

Larva: an insect’s young, worm-like form; a caterpillar for butterflies and moths

Pupa: the inactive stage of an insect when it changes; does not eat

Head: the front segment of an insect where the antennae, mouthparts, and eyes are found

Life cycle:  the stages an organism passes through on its way from birth to death

Metamorphosis: when a living thing completely changes its form from one stage to the next in its life cycle

Thorax : the middle segment of an insect where the legs and wings are found

Smelling and Tasting

Butterflies smell, taste, and touch things around them, just like people do. But the way they smell, taste, and touch is different.

Butterflies don’t have noses or mouths like people. They use body parts called antennae ontheir heads to smell, taste, and touch. They also use their legs.

Butterflies are a kind of animal called an insect. All insects have three body segments. All insects have six legs. The head is the front segment of an insect.

The middle segment is the thorax. The thorax holds the insect’s six legs. It also holds its wings. Butterflies use their wings to fly from place to place. 

The back segment is the abdomen. An insect’s stomach is here. Food goes to the stomach.

Sipping Nectar

Butterflies have body parts to help them survive. They have to eat other living things for food because they are animals. Food gives them energy. They also need water to survive.

Many butterflies drink nectar from flowers. The nectar gives them food and water. They have a straw-like tube to suck in nectar. The tube is a proboscis. It is long and curled. It lets butterflies reach deep into plants to get nectar.

In this lesson, students create model butterflies to examine how their external structures help them survive in their environment. Students use their models to construct a verbal explanation about how each body part they modeled has a specific function that helps the butterfly survive, including finding food and shelter and avoiding predators.