Though different kinds of butterflies have similar life cycles, you won't find every kind of butterfly everywhere. If you went to the different kinds of places listed below, you could see butterflies in all of them, but the kinds of butterflies would be different from one habitat to the next. Why is that?
- Most butterflies (especially as caterpillars) feed only on a limited variety of plants; some eat only a single species.
- Most plants occur in particular habitats, as determined by many factors, including: temperature, amount of sunlight, amount of rainfall (and snowfall!), soil type, wind, and geological history of the land. Some of these factors can affect the butterflies directly, too.
Want to see some special butterflies from special places? Check these out:
- Cold alpine and arctic places - far north and high in the mountains
- Temperate prairies and savannas
- Temperate forests and woodland
- Warm, dry places - desert and chaparral
- Tropical lowland rainforest
- Tropical mountain forests
Want to learn more about butterflies? Go to our Butterfly Resources page.
Do you know how many butterflies The Field Museum has? Visit our Butterfly Collection page.
|
|
||
| © 2007 The Field Museum, All Rights Reserved 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605-2496 312.922.9410 |
Technical Support |
|