With a myriad of colors and seemingly endless array of complex designs, butterflies and moths captivate our imaginations. Their natural ability to morph seamlessly from caterpillar to winged beauty is enough to fascinate even the most cynical among us. These tiny creatures have inspired books, movies and poems around the world. Butterflies and moths inspire the childlike curiosity in all of us, who can't remember pretending to flutter like a butterfly or some other bug as a child, wishing it was truly possible to effortlessly fly around the garden or high up in the sky. For some, this childhood curiosity never dies, but simply morphs, like a caterpillar, into a greater interest in the scientific world.

The order Lepidoptera, to which butterflies and moths belong, is believed to include over 120,000 species. The order is named from the Greek words Lepidos meaning, “scales”, and ptera, meaning “wing”. There are more types of butterflies and moths than any other insect with the exception of the beetle family. Included below are links to sites all about butterflies and moths. There is basic information on their life cycles, the difference between moths and butterflies, and further study references as well as little-known facts, answers to many of frequently asked questions and tons of photos.

Butterfly and Moth Information

• Discovering Butterflies: Includes information on butterfly anatomy, metamorphosis, flight patterns, and further study references.

• The Butterflies and Skippers of North America: A field guide to help visitors identify butterflies they have seen or to find information on unfamiliar species.

• Butterfly and Moth Information: Covers identifying features, natural history, impact on the ecosystem and collecting live insects.

• Butterfly School: Discusses common butterfly behaviors such as basking, nectaring and puddling.

Butterfly and Moth FAQs

• Butterflies and Moths: Answers the frequently asked questions — What do they look like? Where do they live? What kind of habitat do they need? How do they grow? and How do they reproduce?

• All About Butterflies: Poses and answers questions about the life cycles of moths and butterflies, the differences between the two and commonly observed butterfly activities.

• Lepidoptera: Answers nineteen frequently asked questions about both butterflies and moths.

• The Butterfly Conservatory: How small is the smallest butterfly? How big is the biggest? How long do butterflies live? Do butterflies sleep? What’s the difference between a moth and a butterfly? These are just a few of the questions answered.

• Butterfly Questions and Answers: Gives the answers to many of the most asked butterfly questions including—What is the origin of the word “butterfly”?

Butterfly and Moth Photo Gallery

• Butterfly Directory: Small and large views of individual butterfly species accompanied by their scientific name, common name and native location.

• Monarchs & Migration: Various photo albums of monarch butterflies during their migration in Mexico.

• Butterflies in Bloom: Sixteen pages of butterfly images accompanied by their scientific and common names.

• Butterfly Photo Pages: Numerous pages of butterfly images grouped according to butterfly type taken by professional nature photographer Jeffrey S. Pippen.

• Digital Guide to Moth Identification: Thousands of photos of moths grouped according to their genus.

• Lepidoptera Image Gallery: Over one thousand images of caterpillars, butterflies and moths.

• Neotropical Butterflies: Choose from six family galleries to view related butterflies from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and the Amazonia.

Butterfly and Moth References

• Monarch Butterfly Migration Tracking Project: Follow or participate each Spring and Fall as the Monarch butterflies travel to and from Mexico.

• Birth of a Butterfly: Science/Entomology lesson plan for students in Grades 1 and 2.

• Butterfly Watch: Field lesson gives students a chance to learn to identify butterfly species and their food plants, observe butterflies in their natural habitat, draw tables to record and compare data for different species.

• Butterflies and Moths of North America: A searchable database of North American moth and butterfly records.

• How to Make Butterfly Gardens: The guide covers nectar preferences for butterflies, butterfly attractants, butterfly anatomy and larval food plants.

• Moth and Butterfly Wing Patterns: A learning module dedicated to the colorful and mosaic wing patterns of the order Lepidoptera.

• Butterflies and Moths of the World: Provides an introduction to butterflies and moths from around the world, search for a particular genus or study by arrangement and classification. A searchable image database is also included.

• Explore Butterflies!: Build a butterfly habitat, test butterfly knowledge, do field observation and learn about butterflies and climate change.