Wildlife in Costa Rica, Butterflies
Butterflies
According to scientists Costa Rica is the home of about 90% of all Central American butterflies.
Most butterflies have a key ecological role because they are pollinators. They help cross pollinate because they feed on flower nectar and then they distribute the pollen among the flowers. It is also interesting to know that butterflies also feed on tree sap and dissolved minerals usually found in wet sand, dirt and animal excrement. Costa Rica car rental 4×4.
Butterflies are considered insects. They are able to smell and balance due to their antennae. They have a short lifespan of about three weeks because their wings are very delicate and easily damaged, and they don’t have a good vision. In fact they only have basic sight. For butterflies the images and blurry and they can only see motion, light and color.
The main objective of a butterfly is to reproduce. Butterflies can lay about 100 eggs. An important fact is that only less than 5% of the eggs will become adult butterflies. Predators, weather conditions and diseases usually damage the rest of the eggs.
After the incubation period, the eggs hatch into larvae or caterpillars. During 10-60 days, caterpillars feed on all kinds of vegetable matter. Then they enter the pupa or chrysalis phase. Hanging upside-down from a leaf or branch, the mature caterpillar twists the chrysalis, or cocoon, for its last transformation. After being fully developed the color of the cocoon changes and then it splits open. After this the butterfly comes out. Costa Rica car rental Company.
One wonderful place to spot butterflies is the Monteverde Butterfly Garden. The garden was founded in 1989 by biologist Jim Wolfe and his wife Marta. The garden’s objective is to educate about Costa Rica’s native insect and butterfly populations. All of the butterflies in the garden are bred on the property.
The biodiversity center exhibits insects and arachnids that are local to Monteverde, many of which are still alive. Visitors can learn about their breeding and feeding habits. There is a live bug cam, as well as a case for viewing the butterflies as they emerge from their chrysalides.
There are four butterfly gardens and each represents a different Costa Rican habitat. They vary according to temperature, altitude and vegetation, varying from hot lowlands to high-altitude cloud forests. The gardens contain more than fifty species in total, including the Calico, which is the only butterfly in the world to produce sound, Blue Morpho, Glass-Wings, and Zebra-Wing butterfly.
The Monteverde Butterfly Garden is open 365 days a year, from 9:30 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. Butterflies are most active when it’s sunny, so the best time to see them is between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose.