Butterflies are among the most beautiful flying insects and are the most delicate, calm and peaceful. Their charm lies in the beauty of their thin, multi-colored and beautiful wings drawn in exquisite geometric shapes. Their wings are covered with flat, minute scales overlapping with each other. The Kuwaiti and Gulf environment has been inhabited by several types of butterflies, such as the tiger butterfly, the lady variegate, the thorny, the spotted, and the rocky, which are distinguished by their charming colors, as if they were a mobile exhibition showcasing small paintings that move among the flowers lightly and gracefully.
Insects
Regarding butterflies and their season in Kuwait, Rashed Al-Hajji, head of the Kuwaiti Environment Lens team, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Sunday, that butterfl ies are among the cutest fl ying insects and are active during the spring season. Al-Hajji also added that butterfl ies love the sun’s rays and enjoy multiple and beautiful colors. He explained that these scales are the source of the wonderful colors and formations found in the wings, and they contain pigments and mineral coloring materials that give colors their magic when sunlight is reflected, especially the colors blue, orange, black and green.
Al-Hajji pointed out that there are a large number of colors overlapping in a wonderful way on the wing of a single butterfly, with harmonious geometric shapes, as if they were drawn accurately and identically on the wings. He mentioned that the wings of a butterfly are transparent at the beginning of their formation, then they quickly become colored, and they taste through their legs because they do not have a mouth, indicating that most butterflies go to rest with their wings erect above the body, and most of them live for a week or two only, but there are other species that may live for about 18 months. Regarding the most famous types of butterflies in the Kuwaiti environment and the Arabian Peninsula region, Al-Hajji said that the tiger butterfly is the most widespread and common and in line with the conditions of the Kuwaiti environment and the region.
He stated that the tiger butterfly is characterized by an interesting lifestyle, as “its larva feeds on milky weeds that contain cardiac toxin, which is transmitted to the cells of the butterfly, which provides it with protection from birds and lizards due to its toxicity.” He continued that the spotted and rock butterflies are abundant in the Arabian Gulf region and are distinguished by a dancing and attractive way of flying among the plants, while the violet butterfly is considered one of the most attractive butterflies. It migrates across the regions of the Arabian Peninsula and is known for its love of the sun and its presence in the spacious grassy areas. It is also fast flying and famous for its spiral dance near the surface. He pointed out that one of the most common species is the lady moth, which is also called the thorny butterfly, in relation to the food of its caterpillar, which consists of a type of plant called thistle thorns, and is characterized by its speed and strength in flight, which makes it difficult to catch it.
Al-Hajji said that the corona butterfly lives extensively in Kuwait and the Arabian Peninsula, and there is no similarity between its male and female, so that each of them has a special name. As for the lemon butterfly, it is one of the most famous butterflies in the Gulf region and is known for its feeding on the leaves of citrus trees, while its caterpillar is harmful to plants. He explained that the butterfly Great Arabian Salmon is a permanent migratory butterfly that abounds during the summer months in the Arabian Peninsula and inhabits desert areas. It is fast flying, which makes catching it difficult.
And he indicated that all data indicate and confirm the decrease in the numbers of these delicate creatures, which are now threatened with extinction year after year, pointing out that some of their species have disappeared completely or are almost rarely found due to urban projects, the expansion of civilization, the widespread use of pesticides, and the disappearance of natural habitats. For his part, a member of the Kuwaiti Environment Lens team, Muhammad Al-Saleh, said in a similar statement to (KUNA) that the arrival of spring in the country earlier this year and earlier than usual helped the butterflies appear in abundance, as they can be seen in various areas, especially gardens and farms.
Rains
Al-Saleh explained that the rains of goodness this year came early and instinctively during the months of October and November, which accelerated the blooming of wild flowers in an exceptional way, so wild plants and herbs flourished in most regions of the country, as well as flowers Newir, Zamlouq, ranunculus, chrysanthemum and others. He mentioned that early spring flowers provide food for butterflies that suck their nectar through a long proboscis through which they can extract the liquid substance in the flower nucleus.
Source- Arab Times.
