Butterflies give colour and vibrancy to our parks and gardens and are also key pollinators of many plants. They have the typical four-stage insect life cycle with complete metamorphosis – egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa and adult.
Butterflies (and moths) are from the insect order Lepidoptera. They have wings with tiny scales, a pair of compound eyes and a long, coiled mouthpart called a proboscis. The wingless caterpillars feed mainly on plants, but some species are carnivorous. Meanwhile, the winged adults feed predominantly on plant nectar, providing a role as pollinators in the process.
Host Plants: Often, butterflies lay their eggs on specific host plants, which provide important food and nutrition for their caterpillars. Holes on the leaves of plants are a sure sign that butterflies are breeding. Knowing the host plants of each butterfly species is the key to increasing the variety of butterflies in our gardens.
Here are some of the butterflies which you can expect to see in Jurong Lake Gardens!
 List of Butterflies in Jurong Lake Gardens |
Banner: Plain Tiger. Photo credit: Ong Chwee Sia