Butterflies

Basic Information

Scientists have discovered over 17,500 different species of butterflies around the world!

Butterflies belong to an order of insects called Lepidoptera, which means “scaly wings” in Greek!

A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope or sometimes a flutter!

The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, with wings that can spread up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) wide — that’s as wide as a dinner plate!

One of the smallest butterflies in the world and the smallest in North America is the Western Pygmy Blue, with wings only as wide as your fingernail (0.5 inches (1.27 cm))!

Most butterflies only live for 2–4 weeks as adults, but some species can live up to 6–9 months!

Butterflies have been around for at least 56 million years — even before some dinosaurs went extinct!

The word “butterfly” likely comes from the Old English term butterfleoge, which means “butter fly.” Some people think it got its name because of the pretty yellow color of certain butterflies that looks like butter!

Both male and female butterflies are simply referred to as “butterflies.”

Physical Characteristics

Butterflies can see more colors than humans can, including ultraviolet light that’s invisible to our eyes!

A butterfly’s wings are actually transparent — the beautiful colors we see come from tiny scales that reflect light!

Butterflies taste with their feet, which have special sensors that can detect sugars in nectar!

A butterfly’s wingspan is usually about 3 times the length of its body!

Most butterflies weigh less than a standard paper clip, which is about 1 gram.

Butterflies have about 6,000 tiny lenses (ommatidia) in each eye, helping them see in almost every direction at once!

The patterns on butterfly wings are made up of thousands of tiny scales, each about the size of a human hair split 100 times!

Some butterflies, like the Glasswing butterfly, have completely transparent wings that look like glass!

A butterfly’s proboscis (drinking straw-like tongue) can be longer than its entire body when fully extended!

Behavior & Intelligence

Butterflies remember things they learned as caterpillars, even after their body completely changes in the chrysalis!

Some butterflies make squeaking sounds by rubbing their wings together to defend their territory or startle predators!

Butterflies need sunshine to take off! On chilly days (around 55°F/13°C or colder), they can’t fly until they warm up! They spread their wings like solar panels to soak up the sun’s heat. Once their bodies feel toasty, they’re ready to flutter around — even if the air still feels cool to us!

When butterflies get together in groups, they sometimes gather minerals from mud puddles in a behavior called “puddling”!

Some butterflies play dead when threatened by predators!

Some butterflies can fly at speeds up to 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour) — that’s faster than you can run!

Butterflies often follow the same flight paths that their ancestors used, creating butterfly highways in the sky!

Some butterflies migrate over 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) each year, despite never having made the journey before!

Habitat & Survival

Butterflies can be found on every continent except Antarctica!

Some butterflies live in the Arctic Circle, where they only have a few weeks to complete their entire life cycle!

The highest-flying butterfly was spotted at 19,000 feet (5,791 meters) — that’s higher than many small airplanes fly!

Some butterflies live in tropical rainforests where it rains every day, while others live in deserts where it might not rain for years!

Butterflies often hide under large leaves during rainstorms to avoid getting their wings wet!

Some butterflies can survive being frozen solid in the winter and thaw out in spring!

Many butterflies have special glands that produce bad-tasting chemicals to protect them from predators!

Some butterflies look like dead leaves when their wings are closed, which helps them hide from predators!

Butterflies can detect nectar-rich flowers from several miles away using their sensitive antennae!

Some butterfly species only live on one specific mountain or in one small forest in the entire world!

Life Cycle

A butterfly begins life as an egg smaller than a grain of salt!

Some caterpillars grow so fast, they can double their weight in just 24 hours!

Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar’s body completely dissolves before reforming as a butterfly!

It takes about 8–15 days for a butterfly to develop inside its chrysalis!

A butterfly must pump fluid into its wings immediately after emerging from its chrysalis, or its wings won’t work!

Most butterflies lay between 100 to 300 eggs in their lifetime!

Butterfly eggs usually hatch within 3 to 8 days, depending on the temperature!

The total transformation from egg to adult butterfly takes about 30 days for most species!

Diet & Feeding

Adult butterflies can only drink liquids — they don’t eat solid food!

A butterfly’s proboscis rolls up like a party noisemaker when not in use!

Some butterflies drink tears from turtles’ eyes to get minerals!

Some butterflies feed on rotting fruit instead of flower nectar!

Some butterfly species will only lay their eggs on one specific type of plant that their caterpillars can eat!

Many butterflies help pollinate plants by carrying pollen on their legs as they fly from flower to flower!