Worldwide, there are over 25,000 species of butterflies.- In North America, there are over 700 species of butterflies.
- In Florida, there are over 100 species of butterflies.
- Antarctica is the only continent where butterflies have not been found.
- After bees, butterflies are the 2nd leading pollinators.
- Most butterflies usually live only 2 to 3 weeks.
- The Morning Cloak may live up to 11 months and may be the longest living butterfly in North America.
- Butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is over 86 degrees.
- A butterfly's antennas, palps and legs have tiny receptors that are used to smell.
- Butterflies can see red, green and yellow.
- An abundance of butterflies indicate a healthy, well-balanced ecosystem.
- The biggest threat to a butterfly is loss of habitat.
- People who study butterflies are Lepidopterists.
- There are 4 stages to a butterfly’s life cycle: The Egg, Larva, Pupa and Adult Butterfly.
- Butterflies can lay between 100 to 4,000 eggs.
- Butterflies feed on nectar from flowers, rotting fruit, dung, pollen and tree sap among other substances that may have dissolved in water and dirt.
- Butterflies don’t eat, they drink with their proboscis (straw like structure).
- Butterflies don’t have lungs. They breathe through openings in their abdomens called Spiracles.