Today we’re learning about Blue Morpho Butterfly adaptations in the tropical rainforest and making a fun symmetry craft. And I have more ideas on my pages Rain Forest – Amazon, Rain Forest – Animals of the Amazon, and Rainforest Amazon Activities for Kids.
And look at my page Free Kids Insect Unit Study for more hands-on activities.
If you have ever seen a book, video, or an image of the Amazon Rainforest chances are you have seen the bright flitting wings of the Blue Morpho in action.
Besides the fact that they are beautiful, the Blue Morpho butterfly adaptations in the tropical rainforest are an amazing design.
From egg to full-grown glorious butterfly the Blue Morpho has developed ways to protect itself in all its stages.
Blue Morpho Butterfly Adaptations In The Tropical Rainforest
Look at the adaptations.
Egg stage- Pale green blends into the leaf it’s been laid on.
Larval stage-Patches of bright yellow/green with patches of purple and large tufts of hair break up the shape of the larva and make it less of a target for predators. Too, the hairs on the caterpillar are irritating to potential predators. Also, they can adapt to eating different types of plants so if one is scarce, they don’t have to go hungry, and will sometimes eat poisonous plants to make themselves inedible.
Pupal/chrysalis- During this vulnerable stage the pupa turns to light or dark green to blend in with the leaves surrounding it.
Adult- The bright blue wings have several adaptations. When fluttering the flash of color startles possible predators and when at rest the wings are closed showing the dull brown underside. The dull underside helps to camouflage them. They are also very powerful and erratic fliers, helping them to avoid predators. Finally, they can lay a large number of eggs, ensuring their numbers increase.
Isn’t that amazing? No wonder it is one of the most represented creatures of the Amazon Rainforest.
We had to create a craft to highlight this beautiful insect so we are going to make a Blue Morpho that can also be a lesson in symmetry as well.
8 Blue Morpho Butterfly Facts
- The Blue Morpho is one of the largest butterflies in the world and their wingspan is from five to eight inches.
- Only the males are blue and the females are generally various shades of brown, yellow, and black.
- The underside of the Blue Morpho Butterfly is a dull brown color with eyespots. This protects them by camouflaging them from predators when the wings are closed.
- Blue Morphos are severely threatened by the deforestation of tropical forests, habitat fragmentation, and by collectors.
- When the wings open and close in flight it looks as if the blue morpho is appearing and reappearing as it flashes from the bright blue to the dull brown underside.
- Blue Morpho butterflies’ diet depends on the life stage it is in. Caterpillars enjoy a variety of leaves but prefer plants from the pea family. However, the adult butterfly uses its proboscis as a drinking straw. It is used to sip the juice of rotting fruit, the fluids of decomposing animals, and tree sap.
- The Blue Morpho will fly through all layers of the forest from the forest floor all the way up to the emergent layer.
- The lifespan of this beautiful butterfly is just 115 days.
Also, look at these fun books and resources to study about the rain forest.
16 Rain Forest Animals For Kids Books & Resources
Add these rain forest animal books, games, and toys to round out your study of the animals of the rain forest.
This book explores the rainforest layer by layer and the creatures that make their home in each part of the rainforest.
Which rainforest animal is a frog that uses its eyes to help it swallow its food? Which rainforest animal is a bird with a big, colorful bill? Let's learn more about rainforest animals such as sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and more! Read With You's Who Am I? series encourages children to be more curious about the world around them as they learn fun facts about animals from across the globe.
Part of the critically acclaimed Over and Under series that includes Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Snow!Under the canopy of the rainforest hundreds of animals make their homes, but up in the leaves hides another world. Turn the pages of this beautiful and educational book to discover in words and mesmerizing illustration:
Animals like the slender parrot snake and the blue morpho butterfly.
The canopies where toucans and pale-billed woodpeckers chatter and call.
Capuchin monkeys who swing from vines and slow-moving sloths who wait out daily thunderstorms.
The rainforest is home to millions of plant and animal species. Some animals live high up in the trees, some crawl across the forest floor, and some tunnel underground, but they all depend on one another and the rain to survive. With colorful illustrations and fascinating diagrams from author-illustrator Kate Duke, In the Rainforest is a lively look at the most vibrant ecosystem on our planet.
This book introduces readers to the largest snake in the world: the anaconda. Readers learn about the life cycle, behavior, physical characteristics, and habitat of anacondas
Expanding the popular collection of animal books in the Learn to Draw Series, Learn to Draw Rainforest & Jungle Animals will teach kids how easy it is to draw a variety of exciting and exotic creatures from around the world. Each project starts with a basic shape and progresses with simple-to-follow steps to a finished realistic final colored artwork. While they’re learning, kids will also discover fun facts about each featured animal.
Imaginations will soar from the forest floor, up through the canopy and back down again, following the circle of life in this clever adaptation of the song “The Green Grass Grew All Around.” The jungle comes alive as children learn about a wide variety of the animals (jaguars, emerald tree boas, leafcutter ants, sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and bats) and plants (kapok trees, liana vines, and bromeliads) living in the lush Amazon rainforest. Delve even deeper into the jungle using sidebars and the three-page “For Creative Minds” educational section.
While it covers more than just the rainforest this is a fabulous resource to have on your shelves. You will find plenty of great pictures and information on many animals that live there- crocodiles, harpy eagles, monkeys, tapir , sloths,Jaguarundi, and the food web.
Tells a story of a man who came to cut down a kapok tree and encounters many of the beautiful and exotic native creatures who make their home in the Amazon Rainforest.
FUN FACTS: How about Reptiles versus Amphibians?! That's just one of the topic cards in this kids card game. Find out more fun facts from Eggs to the Komodo Dragon!
This bright and exciting Hello, World! board book teaches toddlers all about the amazing world of a rainforest—with easy-to-understand facts about the incredible animals who make their home there.
Human beings have inhabited the banks of the Amazon River since 13,000 BC and yet they make up just a small percentage of the "population" of this geographic wonderland. The Amazon River basin teems with life—animal and plant alike.
Compete to grow the most bountiful rainforest! Carefully select what grows in your forest, and give rise to a thriving ecosystem.
Vampire bats and killer ants? That's what Jack and Annie are about to run into when the Magic Tree House whisks them away to the Amazon River. It's not long before they get hopelessly lost. Will they be able to find their way back to the tree house? Or are Jack and Annie stuck forever in the rain forest?
NatureI n a tropical rain forest in Central America, a red-eyed tree frog spends the night looking for food while avoiding potential predators. Award-winning photographer Nic Bishop's larger-than-life, gorgeous images document the hunt, which ends happily with the frog settling down in the leaves to spend his daylight hours sleeping! Joy Cowley's simple, readable text makes the frog's story fun, interesting, and accessible to young readers.
Explores the richness of the Amazon rainforest, how humans have damaged it, and efforts being taken to protect it. Clear text, vibrant photos, and helpful infographics make this book an accessible and engaging read.
Next, here are some more rainforest activities for kids resources.
More Rainforest Activities for Kids
- Amazon Rainforest Predators and Make a Fun Pasta Emerald Tree Boa
- Creating Fun Red Eyed Tree Frog Manipulatives for Rain Forest Math
- Cute Colorful Toilet Paper Roll Rainforest Frogs for a Rainforest Frog Craft
- 18 Rain Forest Animals For Kids Books and Fun Resources
- Beautiful And Colorful Amazonian Rainforest Animals Lapbook For Kids
- 100+ Best and Free Tropical Amazon Rainforest Educators Resources
- The Ultimate Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the Amazon Rain Forest
- 3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids
- Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey
- 19 Fun Hands-on Rainforest Activities for Kindergarten
- Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten Amazing and Fun Living Terrarium
- Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest – Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts
Finally, create a beautiful double-sided Blue Morpho Butterfly craft which also demonstrates symmetry.
Blue Morpho Butterfly Adaptations in the Tropical Rainforest Symmetry Project
You will need:
- White cardstock
- Blue craft paint
- White craft paint
- Brown craft paint
- Tan craft paint
- Orange craft paint
- Black craft paint
- Paintbrush or paint pen
- Scissors
- Black chenille stem
Fold a piece of cardstock in half to create a crease and then open it back up.
Have your child squeeze blue paint all over one side of the paper.
Run a thin black line of paint down the center.
Close the paper and press the paint outward from the center until it has spread to nearly the edges of the page.
Open the page and allow the paint to dry completely.
Once dry, close the paper back up and cut out a butterfly shape.
You could just cut out a butterfly shape from the paper, to begin with, but I like to really saturate the page in paint and then create the shape.
Next, your child can either take black paint and make an outline all the way around the wings or just do one side. Then press the two sides together again so they are symmetrical. Let this paint dry as well.
Flip to the unpainted side and have your child cover one-half of the paper with brown and tan squiggles of paint.
Fold closed in the opposite direction so that your brown side is closed on itself and press the paint outward again.
Open and add a few black dots of black paint with a small bit of white on them to create the” eyes” on the underside of the blue morpho’s wings, on just one side.
Close the paper one last time and press gently to duplicate eyes on the opposite side.
Allow the paper to dry fully.
Add small details with markers or paint pens like the tiny white and orange dots along the black edge of the butterfly as well as the black vein lines throughout the wings and glue a pipe cleaner to the top to recreate antennae.
