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With the onset of spring heat on many trunks of deciduous trees there are visible butterflies of bright orange color that look like hives: the same brick-colored wings with specks of black, the same border with blue dots. And only upon careful examination, the differences are visible - near the base of the wings there are fewer brown spots and fewer blueness. This is a multicolor, belonging to the same family as cabbage soup.
Description
The Multicolor belongs to the nymphalid family. Squad winged. Its dimensions are medium, the front wings reach a length of 30-32 millimeters, the span is about 60 millimeters. The wing is completely painted in orange tones, only at the very base the orange color is replaced by brownish. The entire surface is covered with yellow and black spots of various shapes.
Along the outer edge of the wings there is a rim of stripes of black and yellow colors, in addition, there are blue specks, like a crescent moon. The edges are uneven, wavy, some teeth protrude.The wings on the reverse side are brown, the pattern is the same as on the bark. Antennae in multicolored black, in the form of clubs. The eyes are large, faceted, around them scales. The role of the mouth is performed by the proboscis with which the butterfly drinks woody and floral nectar. Of the three pairs of legs, the front is underdeveloped, therefore, it is necessary to move on four legs on the surfaces.
Habitat
This type of butterflies is widespread in the central and eastern regions of Europe, in the north they are up to Finland and Sweden. Individuals were introduced even to the north of Africa. A lot of them in Asia Minor, Japan and China. There are many multicolored flowers in Russia in Siberia, in the Far East in the area of the Amur and Primorye.
They prefer to live in forests among trees and shrubs of deciduous trees, they fly along the edges, along roads, in cities they inhabit garden and forest-park zones. You can also meet in the mountains to the level of 1500 meters.
Breeding
After two weeks, brown-gray caterpillars with a large black head about 2 millimeters long appear from the eggs. The brood gathers together, makes a nest from the leaves, entangles it with cobwebs, which are produced by the caterpillars themselves, and they live for about a month in a colony, nibbling the leaves, berries and buds of apple, poplar, birch, willow and other plantings. In private gardens and orchards, fruit trees often cause considerable damage, because the leaves and fruits remain nibbled and spoiled.
After 30 days, the caterpillar becomes developed, stretches to 45 millimeters. It is mainly black and blue with orange stripes running along the back and sides. The body and part of the head are covered with warts. Distinguishes the caterpillars of this particular species are long, rather sharp, branched spikes. To the careless gardener, they can pierce the skin and cause allergies.
Caterpillars live in one colony until pupation begins. Before the next stage of their development, they leave the plant on which they lived. Pupae of 25 mm hang upside down and hang from one to two weeks.Pupae red-brown with yellow or metallic spots. In early June, young imagoes appear, and for some time they fly with butterflies from last year's brood.
Lifestyle
After vykuklivaniya mnogotsvetnitsy not as active as most butterflies. Even more than that - very little activity is shown. They are looking for some nook in the tree, merging with the bark - good, coloring allows, and spend in a state of stupor for a long time, until the autumn coolness comes. In the fall, they come out of their stupor, look for fruit (sometimes even falling to the ground), and are supported by juice. In fine sunny days, they can travel long distances, looking for food. With the advent of cold weather, hibernate until April. They prefer to winter, climbing under the tree bark, hollows in the trees, crevices of buildings. In the presence of buildings winter. If there are buildings nearby, they spend the winter in the attic or find secluded places in boards stacked in piles.
Multicolored women preparing for winter sleep have a plump, bulging abdomen where winter stocks are kept,which will help to survive the stupor.
Nutrition
They like to drink juice flowing from damaged trees - birches, oaks, willows, fruit trees. Sometimes they feed on floral nectar. Do not disdain the excrement of animals, sometimes women of many colors can be found even near the corpses of some animals.
Video: butterfly flower Multicolor (Nymphalis polychloros)
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