[BJinTX]

I was sitting in the care with a window rolled down the other day waiting for my husband to fill the gas tank, (Lucky me) and I wondered why flies, mosquitoes,bees and yellow jackets fly into a car but I have never had a butterfly fly in. I know weird question but ???? BJ

[swrinfla]

BJ:

I frankly haven't a clue. But, what a fascinating question to exercise one's feeble brain.

May I ask: Do you suspect that a Texas butterfly will act differently than a Florida one? I think that they probably would. Why? Because Texas is, after all, a different place!

SWR

[BJinTX]

Dear SWR,

You are probably right, Texas is a different place. We have been here 11 years and am still amazed! Knowing Texans now, they probably think they are tougher than any other butterflies and will carry a gun when needed.

Yes, I have learned to pack heat. But we still want to get to the villages!!! BJ

[Pturner]

Texas is a whole nother country!

[swrinfla]

'Course, I suspect that BJ's earlier contacts with butterflies may have been limited, because surely they froze to death in ND and MN?

I've seen very few butterflies here in TV, but then I know that my landscaping isn't terribly butterfly friendly. Maybe soon.

Hope BJ gets out of TX soon!

SWR

[Pturner]

I am so excited! I think I just figured it out-- why butterflies never fly into cars.

I read somewhere a long time ago that butterflies are solar powered. Their wings absorb power and energy from the sun and this enables them them to fly. So, they stick to places where they get sun!

I was going to Google this first to make sure I remembered right. But I'll leave that to someone else. That way, if I'm wrong, I can still feel smart for a little while until someone else bursts my bubble and corrects me about the solar-powered butterfly thing.

Go ahead Cuz, unmake my day.

[K9-Lovers]

I think bees and mosquitos, etc., are attracted to open car windows because they react quickly to a new scent in the air. They can smell your perfume, or any lingering food smells in the car. Even if you aren't wearing perfume or have eaten anything recently, the inside of your car smells differently than the air outside, and that's what attracts them. Butterflies use camouflage to avoid being eaten, so they tend to be attracted to bright, light colorful areas, not dark car interiors where they would stand out and become a target. Don't know about butterflies getting power from the sun, but that sure sounds good.

[bkcunningham1]

I'll play amateur lepidopterist. So you are correct cousin about the solar panels on a butterfly's wings. Not all, but certain scales on the wings of butterflies are nanobiologically. That means they absorb heat from sunlight. This enabes the butterfly to survive in colder or higher-altitudes than normal. Not actually for flight. Many species of butterflies migrate for warmer temperatures and nectar. This solar panel is very helpful for this.

Butterflies actually hear with their wings by sensing changes vibrations.Their eyesight is the answer to the orginal question. Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and yellow, but sense polarized light, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to nectar sources. That is what the are constantly seeking.

They taste with their feet. They also use their feet to smell as well as their antenna.

Their life cycle is very short. Depending on the species, a butterfly can live for a few weeks to a few months. It is odd that not all, but most moths are nocturnal and fly toward a light. Butterflies are diurnal.

Just a side note to you cuz. Loved all the photos you posted. It is nice to have a picture to go with names and personalities you imagine on TOV. Everyone, including you, is absolutely beautiful. I mean it. I hope to get to meet some of you in the near future.

http://www.humorcolumnist.com/butterfly.htm

I did a little Googling and saw that butterflies do not eat anything but just drink stuff. Maybe there is not much of anything that appealing to them in various cars and trucks? http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Wh...utterflies_Eat

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

I'll play amateur lepidopterist. So you are correct cousin about the solar panels on a butterfly's wings. Not all, but certain scales on the wings of butterflies are nanobiologically. That means they absorb heat from sunlight. This enabes the butterfly to survive in colder or higher-altitudes than normal. Not actually for flight. Many species of butterflies migrate for warmer temperatures and nectar. This solar panel is very helpful for this.

Butterflies actually hear with their wings by sensing changes vibrations.Their eyesight is the answer to the orginal question. Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and yellow, but sense polarized light, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to nectar sources. That is what the are constantly seeking.

They taste with their feet. They also use their feet to smell as well as their antenna.

Their life cycle is very short. Depending on the species, a butterfly can live for a few weeks to a few months. It is odd that not all, but most moths are nocturnal and fly toward a light. Butterflies are diurnal.

Just a side note to you cuz. Loved all the photos you posted. It is nice to have a picture to go with names and personalities you imagine on TOV. Everyone, including you, is absolutely beautiful. I mean it. I hope to get to meet some of you in the near future.

[BJinTX]

This has been too much fun! We are lucky here are we are on the migration path of monarchs and the snootnose bullerflies. We have not had a good migration of the monarchs as they had a bad freeze a couple of years ago. The migrations are pretty to see.
My step-son stated it had had to do with the ambian air currents. ????
I do hope you have alot of butterflies there and not just critters like alligators.
A weird story I grew up with in ND - that you can freeze a box elder bug, take it out of the freezer and when it thaws - it will walk away.
Maybe the cold got to us up there! BJ