Fast Facts

1. Butterflies are insects, but large scaly wings set them apart…wings allow them to fly but only when their body temperature is above 86 degrees… fastest butterflies can fly up to 30 miles per hour. 2. Scientists estimate that there are 28,000 species of butterflies throughout the world. 3. Most are found in tropical rainforests, but they can live in all climates and altitudes of the world… butterflies do migrate to avoid cold weather. 4. Many believe butterflies got their name because they would fly around the buckets of milk on farms… while the milk was being churned into butter, many noticed these flying insects would appear and soon they were being called butterflies. 5. Butterflies have three body parts, like all other insects: the head, the thorax (chest), and the abdomen (bottom)…the butterfly's four wings and six legs are attached to the thorax. 6. Butterflies are colorful for many reasons…colors help them attract a mate and absorb heat… color also helps them blend in among the flowers when they are feeding. 7. Butterflies change four times during their lives… changes are called metamorphosis… born as an egg (stage 1)… turns into a caterpillar, or larvae (stage 2)… caterpillar will eat constantly… it loves leaves and flowers and will grow and grow through this stage of its life… as it grows, it skin will spilt and molt or shed its skin… when the caterpillar has grown several thousand times its original size, it goes into a resting stage… this is when the caterpillar becomes a pupa, or chrysalis (stage 3)… finally, the chrysalis breaks open and a butterfly comes out (stage 4)… the adult butterfly will begin the process all over again by laying eggs. 8. Most butterflies live on the nectar and pollen from flowers. 9. Butterflies have a long, flexible, tube-like tongue that goes down into the nectar of the flower… they suck the nectar up through this tongue. 10. Female butterflies are usually larger than males and they live longer… butterflies can live anywhere from 2 days to 11 months.