Butterfly House

Black Swallowtail male. D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Black Swallowtail female

Wingspan: 2.8–3.5 inches (7–9 centimeters)
Habitat: southern Canada, United States, Central America
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Black swallowtail caterpillars—often called “parsley worms” from feeding on parsley—have a movable, forked, orange organ on their heads called the osmeterium, which releases foul smells when threatened.

Cabbage White male. Ypna, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cabbage White female. Sarefo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 1.8–2.6 inches (4.5–6.5 centimeters)
Habitat: Europe, Asia, North Africa; introduced to North America, Australia
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Cabbage whites prefer plants with mustard oil, like cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower. Adults feed on the nectar of their flowers and act as pollinators. Caterpillars voraciously eat the leafy parts of these plants and are considered crop pests.

Clouded Sulphur male

Clouded Sulphur female

Clouded Sulpher alba form. IvanTortuga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Clouded Sulphur

Wingspan: 1.3–2.1 inches (3.2–5.4 centimeters)
Habitat: Canada, United States, northern Mexico
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Clouded sulphurs engage in mud-puddling, where swarms will converge on mud puddles to drink. The mud water contains salt, amino acids, and other nutrients they need.

Common Buckeye. Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 1.6–2.4 inches (4–6 centimeters)
Habitat: North America, Central America
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Common buckeye caterpillars prefer plants that contain bitter compounds called iridoid glycosides that stimulate their hunger and growth. However, if predators eat caterpillars containing high amounts of these compounds, their growth is stunted.

Eastern Giant Swallowtail. D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 5.5–7.5 inches (14–19 centimeters)
Habitat: eastern North America, eastern Central America
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Eastern giant swallowtails are the largest butterflies in North America. As adults, they are valued for their size and beauty. As caterpillars, they resemble bird droppings to hide from predators. They are pests to citrus orchards, giving them the nicknames “orange dogs” or “orange puppies.”

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail male. HaarFager at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail female. Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 3.1–5.5 inches (7.9–14 centimeters)
Habitat: eastern North America
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Eastern tiger swallowtails may produce gynandromorphs, which are individuals that display both male and female coloration. Males and females of this species have different patterns, so gynandromorphs will display a combination of both.

Gulf Fritillary. Korall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 2.6–3.7 inches (6.5–9.5 centimeters)
Habitat: southern United States, Central America, northern South America
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Gulf fritillary caterpillars are covered in spikes used to ward off predators, but they are soft and do not sting. As adults, these butterflies protect themselves by releasing foul odors from their abdomens.

Luna Moth male. David notMD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Luna Moth female. Kugamazog, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Luna Moth

Wingspan: 3.1–7 inches (8–17.8 centimeters)
Habitat: eastern North America
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Luna moth caterpillars produce clicking sounds and vomit to deter predators. Studies suggest that the elongated “tails” on their adult hind wings confuse the echolocation of bats, redirecting their attacks to nonessential parts of moth’s bodies.

Monarch male

Monarch female

Wingspan: 3.5–4 inches (8.9–10.2 centimeters)
Migratory Monarch Habitat: North America, Central America
Nonmigratory Monarch Habitat: northern South America, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, Oceania
Migratory Monarch Status: vulnerable
Nonmigratory Monarch Status: least concern
Fun Fact: North America’s migratory monarchs are threatened by habitat loss. Since the 1980s, the eastern population has declined by 80%, and the western population has declined by 95%. You can help monarchs by planting native milkweeds.

Mourning Cloak. Pavel Kirillov, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mourning Cloak

Wingspan: 2.3–4 inches (5.7–10.1 centimeters)
Habitat: North America, northern Eurasia
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Mourning cloaks live for up to a year—one of the longest lifespans of any butterfly. They estivate in the summer and hibernate in the winter to survive harsh temperatures. To defend themselves, they may click, play dead, or charge at predators in groups.

Painted Lady. Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 centimeters)
Habitat: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Painted ladies are one of the most widespread butterfly species in the world. They feed on over 300 species of host plants. They mimic monarch butterflies as a defense.

Pipevine Swallowtail. Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 2.8–5.1 inches (7–13 centimeters)
Habitat: southern Canada, United States, northern Mexico
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Pipevine swallowtail caterpillars consume and store acids from pipevines and similar plants to make themselves poisonous. These acids are passed on to each new generation, so they become more and more toxic. Because they are so poisonous, multiple butterfly and moth species mimic them to ward off predators.

Polyphemus Moth. Stephen Lody Photography, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 3.9–5.9 inches (10–15 centimeters)
Habitat: subarctic Canada, United States
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: The Polyphemus moth gets its name from the two prominent eyespots on its hind wings, which resemble the eye of the legendary Greek cyclops, Polyphemus. They range greatly in shades of brown, and males have fluffier antennae than females.

Promethea Silkmoth male

Promethea Silkmoth female. Jomegat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Promethea Silkmoth

Wingspan: 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 centimeters)
Habitat: eastern United States
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Promethea silkmoths do not eat as adults. Their only purpose is to reproduce. Males are awake during the day, while females are awake at night. They only overlap in activity for a few hours to find each other through pheromones. Reportedly, one male has detected a female from 23 miles away.

Question Mark. Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 1.8–3 inches (4.5–7.6 centimeters)
Habitat: southern Canada, eastern and central United States
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Question marks get their name from the question mark design on the underside of their wings. When closed, their wings resemble dead leaves for camouflage. Instead of nectar, these butterflies feed on rotten fruit, tree sap, carrion, and animal dung.

Red Admiral. Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 1.8–3 inches (4.5–7.6 centimeters)
Habitat: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, North Africa
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Male red admirals are very territorial. They patrol their territory up to 30 times per hour and will aggressively chase off intruders. Females must be courted for hours and will only choose males with the strength to fly for long periods and defend territories.

Red Spotted Purple. Saxophlute at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 3–3.9 inches (7.5–10 centimeters)
Habitat: southeastern United States
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Red-spotted purples are designed to mimic the poisonous pipevine swallowtails. This is called Batesian mimicry, where harmless species mimic harmful species to fool predators.

Spicebush Swallowtail. Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 centimeters)
Habitat: southeastern Canada, eastern United States
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Spicebush swallowtail caterpillars use two forms of mimicry during their growth. Younger caterpillars are brown and resemble bird droppings. Older caterpillars are bright green with two black eyespots with white highlights. They resemble green snakes and will even rear up and retract their heads like a snake.

Viceroy. Benny Mazur, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wingspan: 2.1–3.2 inches (5.3–8.1 centimeters)
Habitat: North America
Status: least concern
Fun Fact: Viceroys are the state butterflies of Kentucky. They closely resemble monarch butterflies and are also distasteful. This design is called Müllerian mimicry, meaning two species display similar, honest warning signs. Viceroys have horizontal black lines bisecting their hind wings, while monarchs do not.

Zebra Swallowtail in Spring. Megan McCarty, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Zebra Swallowtail in Summer

Wingspan: 2.5–4.1 inches (6.4–10.4 centimeters)
Habitat: eastern United States
Status: not evaluated
Fun Fact: Zebra swallowtail caterpillars feed almost exclusively on pawpaws. Eating these plants builds up neurotoxic chemicals which are retained into adulthood and protect them from predators.