Orange+Margined+Blue+Butterfly-Plebejus+melissa

1. The butterfly is a type of insect that feeds on flower nectar through its long and curled straw-like tongue. 2. Butterflies reproduce by the male butterfly inserting his sperm into the pouch of the female butterfly. 3. Butterfly communication generally involves courtship flights and behaviors using visual cues. Human must be carful to not disrupt the butterflies environment. Weve taken down much of their habitat by tearing down many forests.
 * Phylum:** Arthropoda
 * Common Name:** Orange Margined Blue Butterfly
 * Scientific Name:** //Plebejus melissa[[image:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Lo8n1_ejGIc/SxEC0p15oII/AAAAAAAAMT8/twE72vGjUQQ/s400/greenish-blue.jpg width="280" height="295" align="right"]]//
 * Class:** Insecta
 * Location:** Found in the northern and western United States, portions of central and western Canada, and extends southward to northern Baja California, Mexico.
 * Size:** .6 cm to 30 cm
 * Description of Habitat:** They typically live in pastures and quiet forests
 * Living Requirements:** Must live in warmer climates with a mixture of sin and shade and flowers available to feed on nectar.
 * Life Cycle of Animal:**
 * Egg-A butterfly starts its life as an egg.
 * Larva - The larva (caterpillar) hatches from an egg and eats leaves or flowers almost constantly. The caterpillar molts (loses its old skin) many times as it grows.
 * Pupa - It turns into a pupa (chrysalis); this is a resting stage.
 * Adult-A beautiful, flying adult emerges. There is no growth during this stage. This adult will continue the cycle and reproduce.
 * Male and Female Differences:** There are differences in color. the males are usaully a darker blue like in the picture to the right and the females are a lighter blue like the pictures above and below.
 * Interesting Facts**
 * Threatened or Endangered?** Neither threatened or endangered
 * Human Impact on Organism:**

[] [] [] Zookeeper: Jessica Tolliver
 * Sources:**