Butterfly

(Lepidoptera)

Butterflies are invertebrates with beautifully colored wings. A butterfly will spend most of their lifespan as an egg, caterpillar and chrysalis, only spending about a month in winged form. The Detroit Zoo purchases about 250 pupae (chrysalises) of 25 different species each week from butterfly farmers in Central America. These captive-bred butterflies are part of an effort to promote butterfly conservation.