Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight.

Mar 7, 2025 · butterfly, (superfamily Papilionoidea), any of numerous species of insects belonging to multiple families. Butterflies, along with the moths and the skippers, make up the insect order Lepidoptera. Butterflies are nearly worldwide in their distribution. Moths vs. butterflies: Can you tell the difference? Both belong to the order Lepidoptera.

Jul 7, 2021 · Butterflies are a type of invertebrate insect with 4 wings that are usually brightly colored. These animal types belong to the class Insecta in the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths both belong to this order). Butterflies are grouped into 6 families, and moths are in the family Hedylidae.

Butterflies (and moths) are the only group of insects that have scales covering their wings, although some butterflies have reduced scales. They differ from other insects also by their ability to coil up their proboscis.

Butterflies are distributed throughout the world except in the very cold and arid (dry) regions. There are an estimated 17,500 species of butterflies (Papilionoidea) out of about 180,000 species of Lepidoptera. Many butterflies have striking colors and patterns on their wings.

Dec 16, 2024 · From the beauty of brilliant colors and intricate patterns to the phenomenal migrations of monarchs, butterflies are the subject of wonder and admiration. But that’s not all.

The series of changes in shape, form, and activities that a butterfly goes through during its lifetime is the life cycle, while the complex biological process involved in the transformation from caterpillars to adult butterflies is called metamorphosis.

Learn about different types of butterflies, what they look like, their habitat, diet, lifespan, and stages in their life cycle along with lots of images

Both formal and informal approaches apply when anyone explains the types of butterflies native to the world’s fields, forests and residential areas. Informally, butterfly species present themselves as the colorful, winged insects associated with flowers and warm, sunny days.

The most complete and authoritative guide to butterflies and moths. Butterflies of the World, 2000+ species illustrated. Anatomy, biology, lifecycle ...