Test your butterfly knowledge with this quiz

Do you find butterflies boring, or are you a lepidopterologist (a fancy word for, basically, butterfly scientist) in the making? Take this quiz and find out.

1. What purpose do butterfly wings serve?

A. Flight

B. Camouflage

C. Selection for mating

D. All of the above

2. How do butterflies attract a mate?

A. Male butterflies fly in complicated patterns to show their skills.

B. Female butterflies flash their wings to show their beauty.

C. Males and females take turns courting each other and show off their wings patterns.

D. A butterfly's parents get to decide who it will settle down with.

3. All species of butterflies are descendants of a single species of moth. How many are there?

A. 1,000

B. 250,000

C. 20,000

D. 50,000

4. Caterpillars, which eventually become butterflies, eat a lot. A fully grown caterpillar is way bigger than it was when it escaped its egg - how much bigger does it get?

A. 100 times as big

B. 20 times as big

C. Twice as big

D. 10 times as big

5. Butterflies are pollinators. Which of these plants could you grow in a garden to help support them?

A. Milkweed

B. Violets

C. Aster flowers

D. All of the above

Answers:

1. D, 2. C, 3. C, 4. A, 5, D

Sources:

National Geographic, The Old Farmer's Almanac

Comments: molly.duffy@thegazette.com