I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 731 - 730 The Dreamy Butterfly Exhibit

Others played with each other, chasing and gamboling, while some butterflies settled on flowers, gathering pollen.

The butterflies moved with such grace, like pieces of colorful paper that could be carried away with a gust of wind.

The flowers by the road seemed to sway gently in time with the dance of the butterflies.

Sunshine cast upon the butterfly wings, reflecting a spectrum of magnificent and colorful hues, and the fountain also shimmered with golden light.

The pavilion was even playing music, the gentle sounds of a harp flowing like the bright moonlight at night, coupled with the delicate and clean sounds of a violin, as if the afternoon sun was shining on a tranquil garden, accompanied by the “whoosh” of the fountain, conveying a carefree sensation.

In front of such beautiful scenery, one’s entire being became calm and relaxed, and all troubles seemed to vanish.

Especially since the pandemic had just ended, and people had not gone out for a long time, there was an eager longing for an intimate encounter with nature.

The children were so happy they couldn’t contain themselves, spreading their arms and running around the fountain.

The parents, watching this scene, reminisced about the beautiful times of their childhood, catching grasshoppers and chasing butterflies in the sunset, running freely, and their faces unconsciously broke into smiles.

Tang Xiaoxin was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses, hurriedly took out her phone, and “click, click” took some photos!

It’s no wonder Linhai Zoo never disappoints!

The butterfly exhibit was simply too stunning.

The two of them began to stroll around slowly.

Listening to the soft music, with butterflies flitting around, it felt like walking in a dream woven of rainbows.

Qian Keke looked at a small butterfly on the pink flowers by the roadside.

Its wings were a light gray on the outer edges, with some small black spots, and its antennae, upon closer inspection, even had white rings – a common sight.

Next to it was an educational signboard that read, “Pea blues, small butterflies with a wingspan of 18-20, are the most common small butterflies in the plains. Adults often fly low near grasslands, woods, and along roads.

Male butterflies exhibit a metallic blue luster on their backs, while females are primarily black, with a ventral side of light brown, black, or brown spots. The pea blue gets its name from its host, the creeping woodsorrel.”

Tang Xiaoxin tugged at Qian Keke’s sleeve, “Look, this one is so pretty!”

A butterfly rested on a green leaf, opening its wings as if basking in the sunlight.

There were delicate, branch-like veins in the middle of the wings, and under the sunlight, a metallic indigo color was revealed, with the front even shimmering with a hint of rainbow light, and a ring of brown waves along the edges.

This was a pea blue.

“Wow, so beautiful!”

On the branch ahead, a food tray was hanging with slices of orange placed upon it.

A pile of withered yellow leaves had fallen onto the oranges, gently swaying.

At that moment, one of the “leaves” suddenly jumped up and took flight with its wings unfolded.

When the wings came together, a mark of deep black leaf vein bisected them, branching out into faint diagonal lines with pale white ripples, like creases on a dried leaf soaked by rain, every detail meticulously imitated.

These were a group of orange oakleaf butterflies, not merely similar to dried leaves they were identical to them.

Their underside resembled dry fallen leaves, while their dorsal side sported large patches of black, orange, and deep blue.

Tang Xiaoxin exclaimed in admiration, “This camouflage is just too strong!”

Qian Keke joked, “Congratulations to the dried leaf for securing the second place in the dried leaf mimicry competition.”

It was only when they lingered on the fruit tray that one could see that something was amiss; if they stayed on a tree, it would be truly difficult to distinguish them.

Up close, one could see the orange oakleaf extending its long proboscis continuously sipping from the orange.

The adjacent informative display explained the reasons for the butterfly’s beauty.

The beauty of butterflies mainly comes from the scales on their wings, the so-called “powder.”

These scales, with different pigments and unique microstructures, refract light under illumination, sparkling and creating the butterfly’s colorful and dazzling patterns.

Pigment-based colors break down or oxidize after the butterfly’s death, which is why specimens are not as beautiful as living butterflies.

Butterflies adorn themselves with a rich array of colors not for beauty but for survival.

Some butterflies use bright patterns and colors to signal that their bodies are toxic and unpalatable, such aposematic colors causing predators to steer clear.

Others, although non-toxic, wear bold makeup, impersonating toxic species. Aposematic colors can be metallic sheens or stark contrasts of black and red or black and yellow.

Some mimic patterns of animals feared by predators, like a snake’s head or a beast’s eye, vivid and intimidating enough to frighten off would-be attackers.

Beyond warning colors, there are protective colors, with green and brown being the most common.

More advanced than protective coloration is mimicry, like that of the orange oakleaf, not only resembling in shape but also lightly swaying to mimic the motion of a trembling leaf.

After reading the informative panel, one cannot help but marvel, “Nature is truly magical!”

Another exhibit detailed the differences between butterflies and moths.

Tang Xiaoxin became immediately interested, as this was a question she had been curious about during her visit!

Is it the vibrant colors, or perhaps the body shape, slim or plump?

But then, the orange oakleaf is quite plain in color, and body size didn’t seem right either; she had seen moth species as large as a palm.

Qian Keke speculated, “Aren’t most moths nocturnal? Butterflies are active during the day. Otherwise, why do we say ‘like a moth to a flame’ and not ‘like a butterfly to a flame’?”

“Makes sense!”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Actually, a few species of moths are active during the day.

The most reliable method to differentiate a moth from a butterfly is to look at their antennae.

Antennae are used to detect scents in the air, like pheromones to attract a mate or the chemical signals released by appealing flowers.

All butterflies have antennae with a small club at the end, resembling the antenna of a toy car.

Moths, however, have either feathery or thread-like antennae without the club.

Another difference is their method of flying. Most moths have a hook-like structure connecting the forewings and hindwings, enabling them to flap their wings rapidly and dart off swiftly. Butterflies, on the other hand, have to flap their wings in intervals, floating gracefully after each stroke.