Frequently Asked Questions

How long do butterflies live?
  • Different butterfly species have different adult potential life spans.


  • An average butterfly species has an adult life span of 2 weeks or less.


  • One butterfly studied in Costa Rica had a life expectancy of about 2 days, and lived 10 days at the most.


  • Monarchs and Swallowtails may live about a month in the summer, but the Monarchs that migrate to Mexico or the California coast may live up to 6 months.


  • The Mourning Cloak adult and some related tortoise shells and angle wings that hatch in early summer may live almost a year.


  • The Mourning Cloak over winters as an adult and then waits to court, mate and lay eggs the following spring or early summer.
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