Butterfly Facts

• Butterflies together with moths form the insect order Lepidoptera
• The largest butterflies in size are among the Birdwings (family Papilionidae)
• The smallest butterflies are among the Blues (family Lycaenidae)
• The average butterfly has about 35 mm, or about 1.5 in, wingspan
• Many butterflies are known for migration; the most famous migrant is the Monarch butterfly
• There are 124 families of Lepidoptera in the world; only 7 of those families are butterflies
• There are 20,400 known species of butterflies
• The largest butterfly family is Nymphalidae, with about 7,080 known species
• Butterflies represent 9% of the total of all Lepidoptera
• In North America there are 765 species of butterflies
• In Florida alone there are 189 species of butterflies
• All butterflies have a head, thorax, and abdomen
• All butterflies have a transformation life cycle of complete  metamorphosis

More Lepidoptera facts ~ pdf