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Lepidoptera order of insects -

Butterflies belong to the Lepidoptera class of insects, which are characterized by their large, scaly wings. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Safety in numbers -

Did you know that there are more than 17,500 recorded butterfly species around the world? (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

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Monarchs don't like the cold -

Monarch butterflies migrate to banish the cold, flying an average 4,023 km (2,500 mi) to find a warmer climate. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Temperature control -

If air temperature falls below 12.7°C (55°F), butterflies are rendered immobile. But when air temperatures range between 27.7°C (82°F) and 37.7°C (100°F), these dainty creatures can fly with ease. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Four-part life cycle -

A butterfly's life cycle is made up of four parts: egg, larva (caterpillars), pupa (chrysalis), and adult. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Getting all a-flutter -

A group of butterflies is known as a flutter.(Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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How to retain energy -

Many adult butterflies do not excrete waste at all. Instead, they retain everything they eat as energy. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0)

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Four-winged flyers -

Look closely: butterflies have four wings.(Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Life's short -

An adult butterfly has a very short life: just three to four weeks. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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The eyes have it -

Butterflies can see beyond the ultraviolet spectrum. Incredibly, their eyes consist of a network of 6,000 lenses. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Liquid refreshment -

Adult butterflies can only feed on liquids—usually nectar. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Finding food -

Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet to help them find their host plants and locate food. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Eaten out of house and home -

The first thing a caterpillar munches on after it hatches from its cocoon is usually the shell of the cocoon itself. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Blurred vision -

Within approximately 3-3.35 m (10-12 ft), butterfly eyesight is pretty good. Anything beyond that distance gets a tad blurry though. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Picking and choosing -

Some butterflies are very fussy about where they lay their eggs. In fact, some species will only deposit eggs on one type of plant. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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See-through wings -

Butterfly wings are in fact transparent. Their wings are covered by thousands of tiny scales, and these scales reflect light in different colors. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Stuck on you -

Butterflies attach their eggs to leaves with a special glue. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Big in America -

The giant swallowtail is the largest butterfly in North America. Females have an average wingspan of 14 cm (5.5 in); males average 15 cm (5.8 in). (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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"Puddling" -

Despite its love of nectar, an adult butterfly cannot live on sugar alone; it needs minerals too. To supplement its diet of nectar, a butterfly will sometimes sip from mud puddles to gather up minerals and salt. This behavior is called "puddling." (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Welcome to the "Puddle Club" -

A group of butterflies puddling together is referred to as a "puddle club." (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Cannibal tendencies -

Most caterpillars are solely herbivorous, feeding only on plants. But some are predatory, and may prey on other species of caterpillars. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0)

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Three-in-one -

Like all insects, butterflies have six jointed legs and three body parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Inside out -

Butterflies have an exoskeleton, meaning they have an external skeleton that supports and protects their bodies. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Biggest and smallest -

Butterflies vary in size. The largest known butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, found in eastern Papua New Guinea. The world's smallest butterfly is the western pygmy blue, which is native to the western United States. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Drying out -

After emerging from the chrysalis, an adult butterfly will wait a few hours for its wings to fill with blood and dry before taking to the air for the first time. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Flight of fancy -

Butterflies have large, angular wings and fly in a similar way to birds, in a figure eight motion. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Hiding in plain sight -

Butterflies make a tasty snack for a host of hungry predators. Defense mechanisms include camouflage, with the insects cleverly blending into their environment in a bid to remain unseen. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Warning! Don't eat me -

But others adopt an opposite strategy, deliberately flaunting their bright colors and patterns that boldly announce their presence. Insects with vibrant hues are often foul tasting and even toxic, so predators learn to avoid them. At least that's the idea! (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Butterflies can hear -

Until recently scientists believed butterflies were completely deaf. But in 2012, it was revealed that these insects do in fact have ears. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Growing up fast -

The time it takes a caterpillar to evolve into a butterfly is usually between 10 days and two weeks, depending on the particular species. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Common in the United States -

The cabbage white is the most common butterfly in the United States. Males have only one spot on each wing, while females have two. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Migrating monarchs -

Monarchs are not the only butterflies that migrate to flee cold weather. The painted lady, clouded skipper, and the mourning cloak are among the other species that also seek warmer climes on the wing. But none travel as far as the monarchs. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY 3.0)

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Dazzling! -

The common buckeye butterfly is one of the most dazzling of butterfly species. The species was even featured on the 2006 United States Postal Service 24-cent postage stamp. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

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Horsepower -

Named for their quick, darting flight habits, some skipper butterflies can fly faster than a horse can run. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

See also: Bugshots: insects as you've never seen them before!

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