Butterfly Facts

* * Insects Are Incredibly Diverse

Some estimate that 10-30 million species of insects are alive today. Most are beetles - the largest group of animals on Earth (about 300,000 described species to date). Butterflies and moths are the second largest group of animals, with 165,000 described species and an estimated additional 100,000 yet to be described. Most are small, modestly colored moths.

* * Most butterflies fly during the day, and most moths fly at night.

This is why butterflies are often more colorful than moths - they attract mates with color (visible in daytime) and sleep at night. In contrast, night-flying moths attract mates by smell, while their colors camouflage them in daytime resting places.

* * Taste by Touch

Butterflies and moths have receptors on their feet, which allow them to taste when they land. Female butterflies fly between plants and land briefly on each potential food plant. Some taste the plants with their feet to find a specific food plant to lay eggs on. Butterflies may also taste by using sensors in their antennae and mouth area.

* * Metamorphosis

Lepidoptera undergo a wonderful transformation from caterpillar to fantastic winged adult. There are 4 life-cycle stages: egg, larva (or caterpillar), pupa, and adult. This cycle is called complete metamorphosis.

* * Butterflies of the Past: Fossil Evidence

The origin of butterflies and moths goes back to the time of dinosaurs, in the Mesozoic Era (230 to 63 million years ago). The earliest caterpillar fossils date back 100 million years.

* * Largest and Smallest Butterfly

• The largest butterflies in the world are the birdwings (family Papilionidae). The Queen Alexandria's birdwing of New Guinea (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest, with female wingspans up to 280-300mm (ca. 11-12 inches).
• The smallest butterflies are the blues (family Lycaenidae). Some are only 6mm in wingspan (ca. 0.5 inch). Florida's pygmy blue (Brephidium exilis) has dwarf (6mm) individuals, although most have closer to 10mm wingspans.
• The average butterfly is about 30mm in wingspan (ca. 1-2 inches), since there are a great number of very small butterflies among the blues (family Lycaenidae) and skippers (family Hesperiidae).

* * Largest and Smallest Moth

Most moths tend to be small, but some are very large.

• The largest of all known Lepidoptera are moths. Some of the atlas moths (genus Atacus) and a Noctuid moth (Thysania agrippina) have wingspans over 300mm (ca. 12 inches).
• The smallest moths are leafminers of the pygmy moth family (Nepticulidae), where the smallest known species are just 2.5mm (ca. 1/10 inch) in wingspan.
• The average moth is about 25mm (ca. 1 inch) in wingspan.

* * How Many Species Occur in Florida?

In Florida, we have 2,932 Lepidoptera species, of which 189 are butterflies and 2,743 are moths. We have over 12,500 species in North America, of which only 765 species are butterflies and the rest are moths. Most Lepidoptera are from more tropical regions.