A butterfly is an insect with four wings that are usually brightly coloured.

Butterflies and moths are closely related. They both have two pairs of wings that are covered in scales. You can tell butterflies from moths by looking at their heads and studying their behaviour. Both insects have a pair of antennae on their heads. The antennae of the butterfly have swollen ends while the antennae of moths come to a point and are like feathers or combs.

Butterflies are active by day while the moths are active by night. When most butterflies land they hold up their wings above their bodies. When most moths land they spread out their wings by their sides.

There are four stages in the life of the butterfly. They are the egg, larva or caterpillar, pupa or chrysalis and the adult stage. It is the adult stage that we call the butterfly. Most feeding and growing takes place in the larval stage. In the pupal stage the larva changes into the adult form. The adult stage is the breeding stage.

When an adult hatches from a pupa its main purpose is to find a mate to breed. The butterfly does not grow, so all the food it needs is simply for energy for flight to find a mate. The butterfly feeds on nectar with is rich in energy. The mouth of the butterfly is adapted for feeding on nectar. It is in the form of a tube which is coiled up under its head. When a butterfly lands on a flower it uncoils its tube-like mouth and probes around the flower until it finds the nectaries. The butterfly sucks the nectar out of the nectaries.

After a pair of butterflies have mated the female searches out a place to lay her eggs. She may lay them under a leaf to hide them from predators. As butterflies only take in energy-rich food, they cannot repair their bodies. Eventually the bodies wear out and the butterfly dies.