Harshika Agarwal

9 Years

53 Years

La Martiniere for Girls

Kolkata

Nature, Poem

Birds and Butterflies|Limericks by Harshika,8, Kolkata+ some cool facts

October 17, 2020

This time we have some limericks from 8 year old Harshika Agarwal from Kolkata. Do you know what a limerick is? It is a humorous poem with five lines, the first two lines have the same final sound as the last line. One might think it is easy, but most find it to be a hard nut to crack!

Dont miss the accompanying cool facts, shared/ acknowledged by Subhadra Devi, bird photographer turned birder, a nature enthusiast and a member of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), India.

================================================================

On Butterflies

Butterflies are pretty,
Sometimes they fly out of the city.
They live for a small time,
Their contribution is very prime.
They are loved by all, old or kiddy.

Butterfly poem by kids Nature with Sara Bookosmia

Cool Fact #1- How long do butterflies live?

All butterflies and moths have a larval stage and then undergo metamorphosis, emerging from pupa after transforming into adults. Their adult forms are radically different from the larvae. With a short adult lifespan (just 3-4 weeks), they are specialized for feeding and reproducing in a hurry.

Cool Fact #2 –Difference between Butterfly and Moth

Moths and butterflies are in the order Lepidoptera, deriving from the Greek words for “scale” and “wing.” The approximately 135,000 moth species and almost 20,000 butterfly species worldwide all have tiny scales on their wings.Butterflies evolved from moths, so it may be easier to think of butterflies as specialized day-flying moths. Moths typically have feathery antennae that taper from a wider base to a pointed end, whereas butterflies have wiry antennae with a knob-like or truncated end. Since moths are primarily nocturnal insects, these feathered chemical receptors help them navigate and find mates at night. There are a lot of day flying moths as well.

Read more here

On birds

The bird is sitting on the window sill,
She could feel the chill.
I gave her some grains,
And she took off like a train.
She loves the greenery around the hill.

Cool Fact #1: Do birds feel cold?

Like us, birds are warm blooded, which means their bodies maintain a constant temperature, often around 106 degrees Fahrenheit. To make enough heat, and maintain it, they’ve evolved many different strategies—some similar to our own. From feathers to fat, birds have multiple strategies for keeping warm when the mercury dips.

Cool Fact #2: What kind of birds eat grains?

By definition, a bird is granivorous when it eats mostly seeds and grain. Granivorous birds can also eat other things. For example, many species will consume insects, caterpillars, or spiders as a source of protein for growing chicks during the nesting season. Granivorous birds may also change their diets throughout the year as different types of seeds or other foods are more abundant and easy to find in different seasons. Types of birds that are indisputably granivorous include: Sparrows and finches, grouse, quail, pheasants, partridges, and similar game birds. Doves and pigeons, smaller parrot and parakeet species, many grosbeak and bunting species and similar large finch-like birds