Facts at a Glance

Answers to a Few Common Questions

The butterfly belongs to the Class Insecta, having six legs, a segmented body, and two antennae. Along with moths and skippers, it comprises the Order Lepidoptera, meaning "scaly wings." The wings of butterflies, moths and skippers are made up of millions of tiny, overlapping scales.

Left: American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

Although some butterflies may live as long as six months, in general the average life span of the adult butterfly is just two weeks.

Theories on where the name "butterfly" originated:

That it was named for a "butter-colored fly." Not too plausible since yellow butterflies are few among many.
That it was derived from "batter fly," referring to the way in which the insects flutter their wings.
That it means "beautiful fly." Chaucer referred to the insect as a "boterflye," which is similar to the Old English word "buttor-fleoge"; both are similar to the Old French word "biaute" which means "beauty."

There are close to 700 species of butterfly in North America.

There are an estimated 10,000 - 20,000 species of butterfly worldwide.

In the United States, 15 butterflies, one skipper, and one moth are officially listed as Threatened or Endangered Species.

How can you tell a butterfly from a moth? In general, as there are always exceptions to the rules:

Butterflies are active during the day, moths at night.
Butterflies have thread-like antennae with a knob at the end, moths have feathered antennae.
Butterflies rest with their wings folded together (like a closed book), moths with their wings open flat (like an open book).
The body of a butterfly is long and slender, while the body of a both short and stocky.

How long have members of the Order Lepidoptera been on the Earth? A long, long, time. Fossil evidence of a wide range of primitive moths has been found in rocks of the Lower Cretaceous period, making them 120 million years old! Butterflies are also thought to have appeared during the Cretaceous, but as yet there is no hard evidence to support the theory. The earliest butterfly fossils are found in the Eocene period, a mere 50 million years ago! By the early Oligocene period, 40 million years ago, all the major butterfly families were established and the general form of the fossil species are very similar to the present-day butterflies.

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