FaunaHub

Butterfly

InsectPollinatorInvertebrate

Several monarch butterflies with orange-and-black wings clustered together.

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) at an overwintering site.

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Overview

Butterflies are day-flying insects in the order Lepidoptera, the same order as moths, distinguished by wings covered in tiny scales. There are thousands of species worldwide. This page is a group-level overview; the monarch (Danaus plexippus) is used as a familiar reference species. Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis, transforming from caterpillar to winged adult, and many are important pollinators.

Habitat & Range

Butterflies are found in a wide range of habitats — meadows, forests, wetlands, mountains, gardens, and tropical rainforests — on every continent except Antarctica. Many species are closely tied to specific "host plants" that their caterpillars eat, so their distribution often follows the availability of those plants. Habitat needs and ranges vary widely between species.

Diet

The diet changes completely between life stages. Caterpillars are usually plant-eaters that feed on the leaves of particular host plants — monarch caterpillars, for example, feed on milkweed. Adult butterflies typically drink nectar from flowers through a coiled, straw-like mouthpart called a proboscis, and some also take fluids from fruit, sap, or damp ground. As they visit flowers, adults help pollinate plants.

Behavior

Butterflies are mostly active by day and rely on warmth to fly, often basking with open wings to absorb heat. Their life cycle has four stages — egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and adult. Some species, most famously the monarch, undertake long seasonal migrations across generations. Many use colour and pattern for camouflage, warning, or mate signalling. Behaviour varies greatly across the group.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Butterflies are widely valued for their beauty and as pollinators, and they are useful indicators of the health of habitats. Many species face declines from habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change, and the loss of host plants such as milkweed has been linked to falls in some monarch populations. Conservation status varies by species and should be checked against current sources such as the Xerces Society and the IUCN.

Appearance & Recognition

Adult butterflies have two pairs of wings covered in overlapping scales that create their colours and patterns, a slender body, clubbed antennae, and a coiled proboscis. They are generally distinguished from moths by their clubbed (rather than feathery) antennae and by being mostly day-active, though there are exceptions. Wing size, shape, and colour vary enormously, from tiny blues to large swallowtails.

Similar Animals

Butterflies share the order Lepidoptera with moths, which are often (though not always) night-flying and have feathery or tapering antennae. Within the insects, butterflies are pollinators alongside the bee covered separately on FaunaHub. Day-flying moths and some skippers can blur the line between the groups.

More photos of the butterfly

A single monarch butterfly perched with wings open.

A monarch butterfly showing its wing pattern.

Image: Thomas Bresson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions — Butterfly

What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?
Both are in the order Lepidoptera. Butterflies usually fly by day, have clubbed antennae, and often rest with wings closed, while many moths fly at night, have feathery or tapering antennae, and rest with wings flat. There are exceptions, so the distinction is a general guide rather than a strict rule.
What are the stages of a butterfly's life cycle?
Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and adult. The caterpillar feeds and grows, then transforms inside the chrysalis into the winged adult.
Do all butterflies migrate like monarchs?
No. Long-distance migration is unusual; the monarch is a famous example, but most butterfly species do not migrate over such distances. This page is a group-level overview, and behaviour like migration should be checked per species.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.