Butterflies are one of the most popular groups of insects. They are known for their beauty and graceful flight. Butterflies are found all over the world and come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Some butterflies can even change color!
There are about 20,000 species of butterflies. They belong to the order Lepidoptera, which includes moths as well as butterflies. Lepidoptera means “scaly wing” in Greek. This is because their wings are covered in tiny scales that give them their coloration. The body of a butterfly is divided into three parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen. The head has eyes, antennae, and a mouthparts called a proboscis that they use to sip nectar from flowers. The thorax is where the wings and legs are attached. The abdomen contains the digestive and reproductive organs.
Butterflies go through four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult butterfly. Most butterflies live for only a few weeks as adults but some can live up to a year or more! The longest-lived butterfly on record was a Great Mormon Butterfly from Australia that lived for 11 months!
The eggs of butterflies are often very small and laid singly or in clusters on leaves or stems near where the caterpillars will find food once they hatch out of their eggs. After hatching from their eggs, caterpillars spend their time eating leaves until they grow big enough to pupate (form a chrysalis). Once inside their chrysalis, caterpillars undergo metamorphosis and emerge as adult butterflies with fully-formed wings! Depending on the species, it can take anywhere from two weeks to several months for this transformation to occur inside the chrysalis.
Butterflies are important pollinators of many plants since they transfer pollen between flowers as they feed on nectar using their long proboscises. In fact, some plants have evolved special structures called “nectaries” specifically to attract butterflies! Many species of butterfly also serve as important prey items for other animals such as bats, birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, and even monkeys!