Moths and Butterflies

Draw a butterfly. Build a butterfly. Learn about butterfly evolution, migration, and conservation. 

Along with moths, their less flashy cousins, these beautiful insects are admired, collected, and worshipped by cultures all over the world. Exquisitely sensitive to their environment, butterflies are also favored by scientists who study the effects of climate change.

Video The Butterfly Life Cycle How do you make a butterfly? Video Nabokov's Butterflies Shelf Life 360 Georeferencing a famous author's road trip to collect butterflies. Hands-on Draw a Monarch You don't have to be a terrific artist to create a scientific illustration of a monarch butterfly—just willing to take your time... Blog Post How Do Moths and Butterflies Survive a New York City Winter? Learn how moths and butterflies adapt to survive harsh winter conditions in an urban environment like New York City. February 7, 2013 Blog Post A Rare Beauty Learn about the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, the largest butterfly on Earth. November 3, 2014 Reading The Butterfly Kingdom Taiwan may be a small island, but it's home to more kinds of butterflies than any almost other place in the world — about 400 species... Article Butterfly Buffet: The Feeding Preferences of Painted Ladies This young naturalist set up an experiment to see what colors and types of flowers butterflies prefer to feed on. Blog Post Moths at Large at the Museum Stunning photographs in the moths exhibition reveal intricate patterns on the wings of these nocturnal insects. February 27, 2013 Blog Post Happy National Moth Week! Celebrate National Moth Week with fascinating facts, research, and appreciation for these vital and diverse insects. July 23, 2013 Ticketed Exhibition Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium Meet the butterflies—hundreds of them!