Butterfly Watching With Kids

Here at Hess UnAcademy, we love making learning fun! That’s why every year, we try to enjoy butterfly watching with kids.

Name a pollinator that can see the ultraviolet spectrum, eats bird poop, has ears in its armpits, and tastes with its feet? Did that last one give it away? 

All-in-one accounting software

Get 90% off for 6 months

Get This Deal

The answer is: Butterflies! 

When most people think of nature studies, they think of studying trees, plants, and rocks. But there is so much more to learn out there in the natural world. Butterflies are a great way to teach kids about all sorts of things, from biology to math.

For example, did you know that the average lifespan of a butterfly is only two to four weeks? This makes them the perfect subject for studying life cycles. By catching and releasing butterflies, kids can learn about the stages of a butterfly’s life, from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

Butterflies are also a great way to teach kids about the environment and the importance of pollination. By observing butterflies in their natural habitat, kids can learn about the different types of plants that butterflies rely on for food. They can also learn about the role that butterflies play in pollinating those plants.

Finally, butterflies are just plain fun to watch! Kids will love chasing them around the yard or observing them up close with a magnifying glass. Watching butterflies is a great way to get kids interested in nature, and it’s a great way to bond with them, too.

You may notice a brightly colored butterfly flitting about occasionally on a sunny spring or summer day, but have you ever stopped to watch them? Butterfly watching can be a rewarding and fun activity, and definitely educational. 

Grab a good field guide or butterfly watching journal, binoculars if you have them, and dress for the outdoors. Let’s go find some butterflies!

Where To Look For Butterflies

When looking for butterflies, start anywhere sunny with flowers growing. Especially flowers with a single row of petals that butterflies can easily land on and drink nectar from, although some butterflies like long, tube-shaped flowers as well. 

You will also find butterflies attracted to sweet tree sap or rotting fruit. Wet soil attracts butterflies looking for a drink, and some species will stop to take a sip from dung. 

Check to see if local parks or kid’s museums have butterfly gardens. 

Butterfly larvae, or caterpillars, can often be found on their host plants. A host plant is one which the butterflies lay their eggs on and the caterpillars eat when they hatch. One of the most commonly known host plants is milkweed, host to the Monarch butterfly. 

Some butterflies only eat one type of plant (talk about a picky eater!) and others eat several kinds. Do some research to find out which common butterflies are in your area and what their host plants are. There are a little less than 600 species of butterfly in the United States, and most people live near about a hundred species! 

Identifying Butterflies

You can ID common butterflies by their size, colors, markings, wing, and antennae shape. Often the first thing you’ll notice about a butterfly will be its size or color. Field guides will list the wingspan of each type and you can estimate the size of the butterfly you see and figure out if you’re in the right ballpark.

Note the overall color or most noticeable color. Is your butterfly bright orange, gray, yellow? Next, notice any major patterns like stripes or eyespots. What color, size, and shape are the markings. Which wings are they on (upper or lower, are they on top of the wing or underneath)? 

Wing shape can help you narrow it down, as can flight patterns. And, of course, your location is an important factor. 

Three of the most common and easily identified butterfly species in North America are:

• Tiger Swallowtails: The butterflies are bright yellow and have black wing edges. They have black stripes that are parallel with their body and narrow black wing extensions. The caterpillar host plants are wild cherries. 
• Black Swallowtails: Black with pale yellow spots along the wing edges, and blue spots along the bottom edge of the back wings, and the signature swallowtail wing extensions. The black and green-striped caterpillars eat dill and parsley.
• Cabbage White: One of the most abundant butterflies on the continent. White, with brown or black upper wingtips, and small black dots on the wings (males have one, females have two). The caterpillars feed on many plants, including mustards and cabbage. 

Butterfly watching can be a rewarding and fun activity for the whole family. Not only will you get to enjoy nature, but you’ll also learn about the different butterflies in your area and their host plants. Be sure to grab a field guide or butterfly watching journal so that you can identify the different species you see!