Butterflies are insects in the evolutionary branch of Lepidoptera, Lepidoptera also includes moths. The wings of adult butterflies are usually large and brightly colored, and they fly clearly. The group includes a large superfamily, Papilionoidea, which contains at least one previous group, Captain (formerly superfamily, "Hesperioidea"), and a recent analysis shows that it also contains moths (formerly superfamily, "Hedyloidea"). Butterfly fossils can be traced back to the Paleocene about 56 million years ago.

Butterfly has a typical four stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay their eggs on edible plants on which their larvae (called caterpillars) will forage. Caterpillars sometimes grow very rapidly, and at the time of complete development p is incorporated into the butterfly ry. After metamorphosis, the skin of the insect splits, the adult insect climbs out, the wings expand and dry, and then fly away. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have only one generation, while several butterflies in cold regions can take years to go through the whole life cycle.

Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species use camouflage, mimicry, and fish to escape predators. Some people, such as monarchs and Painted Ladies, migrate far away. Many butterflies are attacked by parasites or parasites, including wasps, protozoa, flies and other invertebrates, or prey on other creatures. Some species are pests because they destroy crops or trees in the larval stage. Other species are the pollinators of some plants.