There are over 15,000 species of butterflies in the world. Some of the rarest are also the most beautiful and interesting.
Butterflies are insects in the order Lepidoptera. They start life as caterpillars or larvae and metamorphosis into adults with wings and segmented bodies after spending time as a pupae. Over 15,000 species of butterflies are found on every continent except Antarctica. While some types of butterflies, such as the monarch and cabbage white, are very common, others are rare and may be in danger of extinction.
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
The Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterfly is not only the rarest butterfly on Earth, it is also the largest. It can have a wingspan of up to one foot. It lives only in a lowland coastal rainforest on the island of New Guinea. Female Queen Alexandra’s birdwings are brown with an off-white body and are larger than males, which are more colorful, with blue and green wings and a yellow body. This butterfly is also poisonous, in order to protect it from predators.
Karner Blue Butterfly
The small, beautiful Karner blue butterfly is found in the Midwestern United States. It has a wingspan of only one inch. Males have vivid blue or silvery wings, while females have more subdued blue or brown coloration. Due to threats to its habit, the Karner blue butterfly is on the endangered species list.
Palso Verde Blue Butterfly
The Palos Verde blue butterfly lives only on the Palos Verde Penninsula near Los Angeles, California. There are only 300 known Palos Verde butterflies living in the wild, all due to reintroduction. Once thought to have been extinct, a colony was found in 1994. Several specimens were bred in captivity until they could be safely released into their native habitat.
Uncompahgre Fritillary Butterfly
Named for the mountain where they were first discovered in 1978, the Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly lives in the alpine meadows of Colorado. It has brown wings measuring about one inch, with black markings. Because the species faces numerous threats, including overcollection, habitat degradation, and a small population, it is listed as endangered. The Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly matures slowly, taking almost two years to reach adulthood. As a caterpillar, it hibernates through the winter, and goes through four stages of development.
Sapho Longwing Butterfly
The Sapho longwing is a strikingly beautiful butterfly, with bold blocks of black, white, and iridescent blue on its wings. A native of Costa Rica, the Sapho longwing is unusual in that it lives on only one species of plant: the Pittier's Passion Vine. The Sapho longwing relies on the Pittier's passion vine for both food and shelter. This reliance leaves the butterfly vulnerable to extinction if the plant becomes threatened, but the plant also ensures the butterfly's survival because eating the plant makes the butterfly taste bad to predators.