With vibrant colors and exotic patterned wings, butterflies are among the most fascinating creatures on Earth. We all love to see their tiny colored bodies dancing in some mysterious rhythm on flowers, adding beauty to nature’s scenery.
But how much do we really know about them beyond their colorful wings? Are the things we believe about butterflies actually true, or just common butterfly myths? To brush up your knowledge on this subject, we list below some interesting butterfly facts and myths you have never heard of!
35 Fun Butterfly Facts
- Butterfly wings make an 8-figure pattern in motion
First of our butterfly facts revealed some unique aspects related to their wing pattern during flight. Contrary to birds that flap their wings up and down, a butterfly’s body contracts to move their wings in an angled 8-figure pattern. With this body contraction, air flows under the wings, which helps butterflies propel it further through the air.
- Butterfly foods/butterfly eating habits
Here is one more of the butterfly facts to understand what butterflies eat. Butterflies have an unusual mouth apparatus, and thus, they cannot chew solids but only drink liquid food. Their source of liquid diet often comes from flower nectar or decaying liquid matter.
- Butterfly use their feet to taste food
Has anyone ever told you that butterflies taste with their feet? It’s definitely one of the unusual facts about butterflies! Butterflies use special taste receptors on their feet to check if a host plant is good for food. When a butterfly lands on a leaf, it “drums” on it to sense plant chemicals and release its juices.
- Butterfly wings are too sensitive to touch
This is undoubtedly a sensitive addition to our list of butterfly facts. Do you also wonder why butterflies are so delicate to touch? Let us explain this amazing fact about butterflies! The scaly structure of butterfly wings enhances their aerodynamic power to help them fly. But when one touches or rubs their wings too harshly, their scaly structure disrupts, making it hard for butterflies to fly.
- Butterflies have a tube-like tongue called proboscis
This piece of butterfly information explains how butterflies take in food. Butterflies use their proboscis, which is a long, tube-like structure, to suck in liquid food, a feeding method called siphoning. The proboscis remains nestled under the chin and only unfolds like a straw whenever a butterfly sits on liquid food.
- Butterfly wings structure
A butterfly wing has a protein-based structure of chitin. Chitin is the fiber-like, transparent protein that forms the exoskeleton of most insects. When a butterfly gets older, its scales start falling off, leaving behind chitin exposed. This butterfly fact explains why butterfly wings get tattered and colorless as they age.
Along with butterflies there are more animals that are no less cute. Explore what makes them so adorable in this 15 Cutest Animals In The World list.
- Butterfly lifespan
Have you ever thought of how long a butterfly lives? Digging deep into research has revealed some interesting facts about butterflies and their lifespan! Most butterflies live for 2 to 4 weeks, but some even have a shorter lifespan of only a few days. However, monarch butterfly species that migrate and survive the winter can live up to 9 months.
- Butterflies defense mechanism
Do you know how butterflies protect themselves against predators? Some butterflies fold their wings inwards, blending into their surroundings to hide from predators. Others mimic monarch species by wearing bright colors and patterns as a warning sign to scare off predators.
- Some butterflies use poison against predators
Monarch butterflies, known for their bright orange color, feed only on milkweed plants during their larval phase. This milkweed plant contains toxins that make butterflies poisonous to predators. Thus, predators can choke on this poison if they ever try to attack monarch butterflies making another fascinating addition to our butterfly facts.
- Butterfly eyesight facts
Butterflies can only see things within their eyesight range of 10 to 12 feet. Beyond this distance range, their vision often gets blurry. However, interestingly, butterflies can see almost 314 degrees around themselves. This broad vision angle helps them identify potential predators.
- Butterflies cannot fly below a certain temperature
In an ideal scenario of air temperature ranging from 82-100℉, a butterfly tends to fly with ease. However, any extreme temperature can impact butterfly’s flying ability. If the surrounding temperature drops below 55℉, most butterflies cannot fly and thus become the target of predators.
- Butterflies need sunlight to keep flying
Do butterflies need sunlight to fly? Absolutely yes! Butterflies being cold-blooded animals, cannot adjust their body temperature. Thus, in winter, most butterfly species migrate to sunny areas to stimulate their wings and keep up with flying and mating activities. It is indeed another cool addition to our list of fun butterfly facts.
- Butterfly puddling behavior
Male adult butterflies rely on mud puddles to get some essential minerals. This phenomenon is called puddling where butterflies suck in mud puddles to extract minerals. A group of male butterflies that gather around the puddle to take up minerals are called puddle clubs.
- New adult butterflies cannot fly immediately
When a pupa turns into a butterfly, their wings are tiny and wrinkled. Thus, they cannot fly immediately. Butterflies must pass blood through the veins to expand their wings to their full size. Butterflies then rest to dry out their wings before they fly for the first time.
- Migrating butterflies use special senses to navigate
Migrating butterflies follow the sun to navigate the long journey from colder to hot regions for their survival. There is a built-in 24-hour clock in their antennae that helps butterflies predict the time of the day to fly in the right direction while migrating.
- Butterfly lifecycle facts
A butterfly lifecycle, also called metamorphosis, takes place in four stages. It starts with butterflies laying eggs typically on a leaf. The egg hatches out to become a larva (caterpillar), which sheds off skin multiple times to transform into bigger-size pupae. This pupa then eventually grows into an adult butterfly at the final stage of metamorphosis.
- Monarch butterfly migration facts
Monarch butterflies travel up to 2,500 miles south and west to spend the winter. It takes them nearly two months to complete this migration. Surprisingly, since most butterflies live short lives, it’s always a different generation flying to the same spot every year.
- Butterflies in their larval stage are very hungry
If you are looking for unique facts about butterflies, here is one to blow away your mind! When a butterfly egg hatches, the tiny caterpillar immediately starts eating to grow in size. In fact, the first thing a larva eats out of hunger is its own eggshell! Isn’t it amazing?
- Different butterfly species vary in size
Different species of butterflies can vary greatly in size. One can see a butterfly as small as only half an inch, while some giant-sized swallowtail butterflies can have a wingspan of over 7-12 inches approx. Large-size butterflies often have a long tail attached to their wings on the back.
- New butterflies have unique mouthparts
Even butterfly facts about how they feed themselves are fun to read. When a new butterfly develops from chrysalis, their mouth comes in two parts. To be able to drink, they assemble those two mouth parts into one tubular structure called proboscis. Therefore, you may observe butterflies winding and unwinding their proboscis to test their assembling.
- Butterfly skeleton
Butterflies, like most other insects, have their skeleton outside, also known as exoskeletons that are their wings. This exoskeleton offers protection to butterflies from environmental stressors. Furthermore, it also helps butterflies stay hydrated so they don’t dry out.
- Butterflies release glue while laying eggs
When a female butterfly lays eggs on a leaf, they do so by releasing a special glue-like fluid. This glue keeps the egg attached to the place where it was laid. Their eggs otherwise crack if someone tries to remove or scratch out the glue.
- Butterflies species are found everywhere except in Antarctica
There are more than 17000 species of butterflies widely distributed worldwide except in Antarctica, where no Lepidoptera insects can be found because of its climate. In the U.S. alone, around 750 species of butterflies are there with cabbage white butterflies being the most common.
- Monarch butterflies eat only milkweed plant
Monarch butterfly facts show us how important milkweed plants are for their ultimate survival. They lay their eggs only on milkweed plants because their caterpillars can eat nothing else. That is why planting milkweeds is essential to help monarch butterflies survive and grow in numbers.
There are almost 17,000 butterfly species as stated by fellows at learnbutterflies.com in their World Butterfly Census. Do check out the interesting data they share about these beautiful bugs.
- Butterflies play model organisms in many scientific studies
Butterflies often act as “model organisms” in many biological research studies. They have great scientific value in a range of fields of research including genetics, embryology, climate change, biodiversity, evolution, etc.
- Butterflies are a true symbol of nature
In illustrations and advertisements, butterflies are often used as a signature element for their environmental friendliness. You will also see butterflies portrayed as a symbol of peace, freedom, and nature’s beauty.
- Butterflies contribute to a healthy environment
A large butterfly population is a sign of a healthy environment and a balanced ecosystem. They play an essential role in nature by helping with pollination and controlling pests, making the environment better for plants and other animals.
- Butterflies got their name from “Yellow Butter”
Butterflies got their name from an old English word, “butterflouge” meaning “butter-fly”. They are named “butterfly” probably because of the yellow color of most butterfly species resembling the yellow of butter.
- Some butterflies have weird friendly relationships with ants
Although ants are butterfly predators, they can also be friends! Lycaenidae butterfly species rely on ants for the protection of their caterpillars. In return, they secrete honeydew to keep ants happy. This unique friendship helps caterpillars survive and grow into butterflies.
- Butterflies fall easily for baits of decaying matter
Considering the fondness of butterflies for decaying flesh, photographers use the same bait to get a closer look at them without scaring them away. Moreover, researchers have also begun using the bait of dead snakes or rotting shrimp heads to attract tropical butterflies.
- Butterflies color vision
Even though they are near-sighted, butterflies can see colors and patterns that a human eye cannot identify, courtesy of the greater number of photoreceptor cells (most humans have only three i.e. red, green, and blue). They can also differentiate between polarized and ultraviolet colors, which is impossible for humans.
- Butterflies prefer to stay at low altitudes
Butterflies only fly at high altitudes when they migrate. Otherwise, they stay at low altitudes, because it’s easy for them to search for food and shelter on the ground. They can also look for potential mates while fluttering in meadows or gardens.
- Butterflies are very skilled flyers
Do you know the average speed of a butterfly? Well, butterfly facts have proved most species fly at an average speed of 5-12 miles per hour. Some migrating species have a flying speed of approx 30 miles per hour while skipper butterflies, being the fastest butterfly, can reach 37 mph flying speed.
- Butterflies warm up to fly
Butterfly facts for kids can be both fun and interesting, so here is one! When it gets too cold, butterflies have ways to warm themselves up. Butterflies sit in the sun, a behavior called basking, to raise their body temperature. Some species even shiver, i.e. they shake their body intensively, to warm up for the upcoming flight.
- Butterfly roosting behavior
Do butterflies sleep at night? Fun facts about butterflies say that they don’t sleep like humans! However, they go into a resting posture, called the roosting behavior, where they close their wings, hang upside down, and hide underneath a leaf. Butterflies rest like this to hide from predators and reenergize themselves for their morning flight.
Some Myths About Butterflies That Need to Be Busted
- Butterflies have four wings, not two
Can you tell us some common butterfly myths? One of the biggest myths is that butterflies have only two wings. In reality, they have four! The two wings near their head are called forewings, and the two in the back are called hindwings.
- Butterfly wings are transparent, not colorful
One of the most popular butterfly myths is that their wings are colorful. However, butterfly wings are actually transparent and made of thousands of tiny scales. The beautiful colors we see on a butterfly result from colors reflecting off these scales.
- Butterflies are not the same insect as moths
As butterflies and moths belong to the same biological order as Lepidoptera, most people think they are the same. However, they aren’t, and have quite different characteristics! Butterfly antennae are thin and long whereas moth antennae are comb-like thick and feathery. Butterflies need sunlight to fly while moths remain active only at night.
- Butterfly eating behavior
It is another butterfly myth that they all depend on flower nectar for nutrition. Not at all! Some of them love to feed on decaying animal corpses, blood, urine, and animal feces. Such decaying elements provide butterflies with dissolved salts, amino acids, and minerals necessary for reproduction.
- Despite being lightweight, butterflies fly at high altitudes
One may believe in this myth about butterflies that they cannot fly high, but that’s not true. Even though butterflies are as lightweight as raindrops, they can fly thousands of miles even at high altitudes. Monarch butterfly species fly at 3000-4000 feet while painted lady species go up to 10,000 feet.
Wrapping Up Butterfly Facts
Here, we wrap up our discussion of amazing butterfly facts and myths. We’ve tried to highlight some interesting facts about butterflies that most people didn’t know before to make them realize how incredible these small insects are. With over 20,000 species worldwide, there is still more to discover about their hidden world. So next time you see a butterfly fluttering by your garden, sipping on nectar, or simply landing on you, take a moment or two to admire its beauty. Happy reading!
