Children's Butterfly Site

Questions answered by Dr. Paul A. Opler, Professor, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, and Emeritus Scientist, BRD-USGS

Please read carefully through the questions listed below before you submit a question. Your question(s) may have already been answered below.

Question Areas

• General
• Life Cycle
• Appearance
• Behavior
• Catching/Handling

General Questions

1. What are butterflies and moths?
2. How many kinds of butterflies and moths exist?
3. What is the difference between butterflies and moths?
4. Are there endangered butterflies and moths?
5. Are butterflies poisonous?
6. Which butterflies are poisonous?
7. Why are butterflies and moths such good insects? Why does everyone love them?
8. How did butterflies get their name? Why are they called "butterflies"?
9. How do I identify a caterpillar?
10. How much do butterflies weigh?
11. How long do butterflies live?
12. Do butterflies have brains and hearts?
13. Are butterflies pollinators?
14. Where can I find out more about butterflies and moths?

Life Cycle Questions

1. What is the life cycle of butterflies and moths?
2. How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?
3. Why do caterpillars turn into butterflies?
4. How do caterpillars "know" when it is time to turn into a chrysalis?
5. What is the red liquid that comes out of a butterfly's abdomen after it emerges from the chrysalis? Does it give the butterfly its color?

Appearance Questions

1. Why are butterfly and moth wings so delicate? How are they made?
2. Why do some butterfly and moth wings have such brilliant colors?
3. Do caterpillars have teeth?
4. Do caterpillars have ears? Do butterflies have ears?
5. Why do butterflies have dust on their wings?
6. Why do butterflies look the same on both sides?
7. How does one tell the difference between male and female butterflies?
8. How many legs does a caterpillar have?

Behavior Questions

1. How do butterflies go to the bathroom?
2. Do butterflies eat bugs?
3. What do butterflies and moths eat?
4. How do butterflies mate?
5. How do butterflies communicate? Is it like honeybees?
6. How do butterflies fly?
7. How high do butterflies fly?  How fast do butterflies fly?
8. Do caterpillars drink water?
9. Do butterflies sleep or take brief naps?  What is sleep to a butterfly?
10. Where do butterflies go when it rains?
1. Do caterpillars hide somewhere at night or are they eaten by birds?

Catching/Handling Questions

1. Where can I find butterflies and moths?
2. How can I catch a butterfly or moth?
3. Where can I buy caterpillars?
4. How can I raise a caterpillar?
5. Can butterflies be damaged by handling? Can you damage a cocoon by handling it?

Did you find the answer to your question? If not, you can submit a question to Dr. Opler, our Lepidopteran expert who replies to your butterfly and moth questions via e-mail at: pauloper(at)comcast.net.  Please note that Dr. Opler has recently "retired" and is frequently in the field working on butterfly research around the world.  Because he is out of the office for extended periods, there will be a 1-2 week minimum delay in answering your questions.  In addition, since we receive so many questions on a daily basis we are no longer able respond to questions whose answers can be found in either the FAQ section or the main content pages of the Children's Butterfly Site.