Story

Miss Blue Morpho's Story Time

bluebutterfly1

by Ariel Strauss

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Blue morpho butterfly. Morpho menelaus. © bluebutterfly1

Miss Blue Morpho teaches a first grade class.  Each and every one of her students is a lovely insect.  Some of her students are flies, some are ladybugs, and others are bumble bees.  Miss Blue Morpho is a beautiful butterfly.

B-U-T-T-E-R-F-L-Y

Miss Blue Morpho's class is doing something very special for school this week.  Everyday each student is allowed to share a story about their life.  Every student already shared their stories, so now it is Miss Blue Morpho's turn to tell about her life as a butterfly.


Miss Blue Morpho starts by telling her class that she is a Blue Morpho Butterfly. Blue Morpho Butterflies are a green blue color. Miss Blue Morpho explains to her class, that like every other butterfly, she has 6 legs, 4 wings, and 2 antennae.  Antennae are what insects use to sense things around them.  For example, butterflies use their antennae to smell.  And her class was very excited when they learned that butterflies also taste with sensors on their legs.

Now she explains to her class about the days when she used to be a caterpillar, and how she started out as an egg.  Her entire class was surprised when they learned something as beautiful as she used to be a caterpillar.  Blue Morpho caterpillars are a red brown color, with little patches of green.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Morpho menelaus caterpillar. ©  http://www.Mongabay.com

After a little while, the caterpillar forms a protective covering around its body called a chrysalis.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Caterpillar diagram. © 2005 Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

While hanging from the tree, the caterpillar is inside the chrysalis, transforming into a beautiful butterfly.  The process of turning into a butterfly from a caterpillar is called metamorphosis.  After some time, when the butterfly is ready, it comes out of the cocoon, and what you see is a pretty butterfly, just like Miss Blue Morpho.

*M-E-T-A-M-O-R-P-H-O-S-I-S*

Miss Blue Morpho now explains something to her class that really surprises them.  Even though she looks blue, she really isn't.  She tells her students that on the butterflies' wings are scales, and her scales reflect blue light, but her scales aren't really blue.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Morpho menelaus © http://www.Earthsbirthday.org

Like everything else that is living, Blue Morpho butterflies have enemies.  To help them hide from predators like birds, the underside of their wings are a brown color to help them blend in to surrounding areas.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Morpho menelaus. © http://www.Earthsbirthday.org

Also, there are 2 little brown spots on the wings, that look like eyes, and that really scares away enemies, but Miss Blue Morpho never scares away her students.


Miss Blue Morpho's story time is almost over, and it is almost time for class to end.  All the first graders left class that day with a new fascination for butterflies.  They learned so much today.  They learned all about Metamorphosis, and how Blue Morpho Butterflies get their blue color, and they also learned about how Miss Blue Morpho keeps herself safe with her brown underside wings.

Information on the Internet

References

Whalley, Paul. Butterfly and Moth, New York; Dorling Kindersley, 2000

Stolk, Anthonie, and Ton De Joode. The Backyard Bestiary. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1980.

Miller, Lee D. "Butterfly." World Book. 2005 ed. 2005.

Learning Information

About This Page

i would like to thank many sources for allowing me to use their wonderful photos, and information for my project. I would like to thank www.mongabay.com, www.hhmi.org, and www.earthsbirthday.org, and www.enchantedlearning.com

Author: bluebutterfly1
Classroom Project: The Blue Morpho Butterfly
Rutgers Preparatory School
Somerset, NJ USA

License: Tree of Life & Partners uses only - Version 1.0

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to , Rutgers Preparatory School

 Treehouses are authored by students, teachers, science enthusiasts, or professional scientists. Anyone can sign up as a treehouse contributor and share their knowledge and enthusiasm about organisms. Treehouse contributions are checked for general accuracy and quality by teachers and ToL editors, but they are not usually reviewed by expert scientists. If you spot an error, please get in touch with the author or the teacher. For more information about quality control of Tree of Life content, see Status of Tree of Life Pages.

close box

This page is a treehouse that is attached to a branch of the Tree of Life.

Treehouses are ToL pages designed for children and the young at heart.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

close box

Morpho

Treehouse Content

articles & notes

Treehouses

collections

people

Explore Other Groups

random page

  go to the Tree of Life home page
top