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Enchanted Learning ALL ABOUT BUTTERFLIES!

Butterfly Calendar

EARTH The Earth is the third planet from the sun.	ECDYSIS Ecdysis is molting. When an insect molts it loses its old exoskeleton and grows a larger one to replace it. Caterpillars molt four to five times during their development.	ECDYSONE Ecdysone is the molting hormone of insects. It causes an insect to molt.
ECTOTHERMIC Ectotherms are animals whose internal temperature changes with the environment. They rely upon the external temperature and their behavior (like sunning themselves) to regulate their body temperature. Amphibians, most fish, and most reptiles are ectothermic.	EGG Butterflies and moths hatch from eggs. Butterflies usually lay their eggs on leaves. They are oviparous.	EMERGENTS Emergents are giant trees in a rainforest that are much higher (up to 270 feet or 81 m) than the average canopy height. The emergents house many birds and insects.
ENDANGERED SPECIES An endangered species is a group of animals that is dwindling in numbers and may go extinct soon. Many species of butterflies are endangered, including Queen Alexandra's Birdwing.	ENDOTHERMIC Endotherms maintain a relatively constant internal temperature. Endothermic animals generate their own body heat to maintain their body temperature, which is usually higher than that of the surroundings. Heat from the bloodstream circulates through the body in order to maintain the animal's temperature. Birds and mammals are endothermic.	Eon Time Phanerozoic Eon 540 million years ago through today Proterozoic Eon 2.5 billion years ago to 540 million years ago Archaeozoic Eon 3.9 to 2.5 billion years ago Hadean Eon 4.6 to 3.9 billion years ago EON Two or more geological Eras form an Eon, which is the largest division of geological time, lasting hundreds of millions of years.
EPOCH An epoch is a division of a geologic period; it is the smallest division of geologic time, lasting several million years.	EQUATOR The equator is an imaginary circle around the earth, halfway between the north and south poles. The temperature at the equator is usually very warm.	ERA Two or more geological periods comprise an Era, which is hundreds of millions of years in duration.
ERUCIFORM Eruciform means having a caterpillar-like shape (cylindrical with a well-developed head and legs). The larvae of butterflies and moths (caterpillars) are eruciform.	ESTIVATION Estivation (also spelled aestivation) is a dormant state that an animal enters in order to survive a very hot or very dry period. During estivation, the animal does not move, grow, or eat.	EVERSCIBLE TUBERCLE An everscible tubercle is a tentacle that ant-tending caterpillars have. Located towards the rear, this tentacle can release a chemical that mimics an ant pheromone. The caterpillar releases this pheromone when it is threatened by a predator; the chemical causes ants to become aggressive, attacking the predator.
EVOLUTION Evolution is a process in which the gene pool of a population gradually (over millions of years) changes in response to environmental pressures, natural selection, and genetic mutations. All forms of life came into being by this process.	EXOSKELETON An exoskeleton is an external skeleton, a tough, structural body armor made of chitin. Arthropods (insects, arachnids, trilobites, crustaceans, etc.) have segmented exoskeletons.	EXTINCT An animal species that is extinct has died out. Most animal species that ever existed have gone extinct, including all the dinosaurs.
EXTINCTION Extinction is the process in which groups of organisms (species) die out.	EYE Insects (like butterflies and moths) have compound eyes and simple eyes. Compound eyes are made up of many hexagonal lens/corneas which focus light from each part of the insect's field of view onto a rhabdome (the equivalent of our retina). An optic nerve then carries this information to the insect's brain. Insects see very differently from us; they can see ultraviolet rays (which are invisible to us).	EYE CAP The eye cap is a hood that partly covers the eyes of some small moths. This cap is formed by the base of the antennae.
EYE SPOT An eye spot is a circular, eye-like marking found on the wings of some butterflies or the body of some caterpillars. These eyespots make the insect look like the face of a much larger animal and may scare away some predators.

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