Life Among the Butterflies

by Vance Randolph

THE FOUR-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES

The largest family of butterflies in America is the Nymphalidae, and its members are called four-footed butterflies because the front legs are so small as to be useless, leaving only four walking feet. Most of the butterflies are large or medium-sized, the caterpillars are usually provided with spines or fleshy protuberances, and the chrysalids are always suspended by the tail. The family is divided into five subfamilies; the Euploeinae, the Heliconiinae, the Nymphalinae, the Satyrinae, and the Libytheinae.