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The
Butterfly Kingdom
Butterfly Kingdom
Hi, I'm Ming-Luen Jeng and I'm an entomologist in Taiwan. I study insects like beetles and butterflies. I also helped plan a butterfly exhibition at the National Museum of Natural Science.
Find out why I'm fascinated by these fluttering insects!
Taiwan: Butterfly Kingdom
Taiwan is a small island, but it's home to more kinds of butterflies than almost any other place in the world. Scientists have discovered about 400 butterfly species. Fifty-five of them are endemic . They live nowhere else in the world!
The reason for this rich variety is Taiwan's diverse habitats — from high mountain grasslands to tropical forests. But these butterflies are under threat. As Taiwan's cities and businesses grow, its butterfly habitats are disappearing.
Magellan's Iridescent Birdwing
This butterfly lives on Orchid Island, one of Taiwan's offshore islands.
Broad-tailed Swallowtail
This is Taiwan's national butterfly. It is endangered.
Butterflies in Culture
Most people in Taiwan are Han Chinese. In Han culture, butterfly motifs are common in crafts, paintings, and even buildings.
To understand why butterflies are such popular symbols, look at the Chinese characters for "butterfly" 蝴蝶 (hú dié) and listen to the pronunciation. The first character 蝴 (hú) has a similar sound as the character 福 (fú) for "good fortune." This is why butterflies are symbols of good luck. The second character 蝶 (dié) has the same sound as the character 耋 for "the elders." So butterflies are often seen in artwork celebrating a long life.
Listen to the pronunciation of "butterfly" in Chinese.
Butterflies carry meaning for Taiwan's indigenous groups, too. For the Rukai people, the butterfly is a symbol of swiftness when used on headdresses. It is a symbol of diligence when used on clothes. The Paiwan people use tribal beads of the Swallowtail to decorate a person who is fast and nimble. And the Tao tribe believe that Magellan's Iridescent Birdwing represents evil spirits.
The annual Yellow Butterfly Festival celebrates and protects butterflies and their habitats. Organized by local people and conservation groups, the festival features performances, costumes, butterfly-watching hikes, and ceremonies to honor butterflies.
In the Rukai tribe, wearing a butterfly headdress is a great honor granted by the chief. These men run so swiftly, they have won the title "lyalivarane." It means "butterfly"!
Butterfly Business
If you've ever been to a butterfly conservatory, a butterfly from Taiwan may have fluttered by or landed on you!
In Taiwan, many people make a living through butterflies directly or indirectly. Butterfly farms breed large numbers of butterflies and send pupae to butterfly houses and gardens around the world. By experiencing butterflies, people learn about wildlife diversity and conservation.
Butterfly watching is a popular part of Taiwan's ecotourism, giving tourists a chance to observe and appreciate the country's diverse butterflies. These activities bring money to local communities, so the local people are even more willing to protect butterflies.
With such striking colors and patterns, it's no wonder that butterflies are used in artwork and crafts too. Until about 40 years ago, butterfly specimens were often framed or used to decorate products such as bookmarks, coasters, and even handbags.
Check out these butterfly handicrafts!
Some butterfly species may hold the keys to life-saving medicines. One species, Catopsilia pomona, was discovered to contain a chemical that limits the spread of cancer.
Protecting Butterflies
Juvia Large Crow
Think of the last butterfly you saw fluttering around your home or school. Now imagine you never saw that kind of butterfly again. That's happening to butterflies in Taiwan. Already, scientists have identified three known species that are extinct . They include the Juvia Large Crow, Shepherd's Fritillary, and Monarch. Many others are critically endangered . Their populations have become so small, they may not survive many more generations.
Cycad Blue
The biggest threats to butterflies are humans. Some butterflies like the Purple Crow are threatened because their habitats are being destroyed. Others are threatened when people bring in new or invasive species that don't naturally live in an area. This happened to Cycad Blue butterflies. As caterpillars, they eat plants called Taitung cycads. When people started planting other cycad species in gardens, native cycads were crowded out, putting the Cycad Blue butterflies at risk.
Taitung cycad
The rare Taiwan sassafras is the only plant that the Broad-tailed Swallowtail butterfly feeds on.
Natural factors also play a role. The Taiwan Beech Hairstreak is rare because the plant it needs to survive, the Taiwan Beech, is also rare. This is also true for the Broad-tailed Swallowtail . This endangered butterfly feeds only on the rare Taiwan sassafras.
In 1989, Taiwan passed the Wildlife Conservation Law to protect rare and endangered wildlife. People use the laws to protect the endangered butterflies and their habitats.
Take a closer look at some of Taiwan's amazing butterflies in this PDF!
Credits:
This is a collaborative project between the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and the National Museum of Natural Science in Taiwan (NMNS) to share and exchange their digital resources and extend their outreach to global audiences.Photos: © National Museum of Natural Science Taiwan