Lepidoptera
The butterfly is from the class Insecta and order Lepidoptera. There are an average of 180,000-200,000 species throughout the world. They originate from all countries on earth except Antarctica. There are many species of caterpillar that called the Dickinson's Homestead home. Emily sequestered herself away in this garden paradise, maybe she felt a kinship with the caterpillar and associated the feelings of isolation in correlation with the butterfly's cocoon.
The Anatomy of a Caterpillar and a Butterfly
The elongated body of the caterpillar is segmented with a mandible for chewing while the adult form butterfly has three distinct body parts, wings, and a proboscis for feeding.
Videos below are of the different species of caterpillars found around the world that make up the different species of Lepidoptera. Many caterpillars you will notice share similar characteristics of the caterpillar defenses shown on previous page. The Butterflies in the video are all marked differently according to species and also as defense through camouflage or bright colors to scare off predators and also to attract mates. Identifying caterpillars and matching them to their adult form as a butterfly may have been a favorite past time of Emily Dickinson.
|
|