Butterfly Royalty-Free Stock Image

The butterfly`s body is covered by tiny sensory hairs. The four wings and the six legs of the butterfly are attached to the thorax. The thorax contains the muscles that make the legs and wings move. Butterflies are very good fliers. They have two pairs of large wings covered with colorful, iridescent scales in overlapping rows. Lepidoptera butterflies and moths are the only insects that have scaly wings. The wings are attached to the butterfly`s thorax mid-section. Veins support the delicate wings and nourish them with blood. Butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is above 86 degrees. Butterflies sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. As butterflies age, the color of the wings fades and the wings become ragged. The speed varies among butterfly species the poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous varieties. The fastest butterflies some skippers can fly at about 30 mile per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about 5 mph.