Guide to Tropical Butterflies & Moths
HAVE A BUTTERFLY QUESTION?
At least 2000 free-flying tropical butterflies and moths are on exhibit at any given time in the tropical Conservatory. Our butterflies and moths originate in either Costa Rica or the Philippines. Most are sent to us weekly as pupae (also called chrysalides(butterflies) or cocoons(moths)) from butterfly farmers. Butterfly farming is a sustainable form of agriculture and ensures that natural populations of wild butterflies and moths are not depleted. At the Emergence Window, visitors can watch as butterflies emerge from their chrysalides, dry their wings and prepare for their very first flight into our Conservatory. Some butterfly species are reared onsite so that visitors can observe all four of the stages of metamorphosis: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly. Our population of butterflies and moths consists of approximately 40 different species. See below for more information on the butterflies and moths found at Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, or visit our Facebook album Butterflies & Moths of the Conservatory!
Search by Name
A
- African Monarch
- agamemnon, Graphium
- Agraulis vanillae
- Asian Swallowtail
- Atrophaneura kotzebuea
- Attacus atlas
- Atlas Moth
- Autumn Leaf Butterfly
B
- Bamboo Page
- Banded Mormon
- Banded Orange
- Banded Owl
- biblis, Cethosia
- Birdwing, Golden
- bisaltide, Doleschallia
- Blue Clipper
- Blue Doris
- Blue Morpho
- Blue & White
- bolina, Hypolimnas
- Brown Clipper
C
- Caligo sp.
- Caligo atreus
- Cethosia biblis
- charitonia, Heliconius
- Chilasa clytia
- chrysippus, Danaus
- Clipper, Blue
- Clipper, Brown
- clytia, Chilasa
- Common Blue Morpho
- Common Mime
- Common Mormon
- Cracker
- cydno, Heliconius
D
- Danaus chrysippus
- Danaus plexippus
- dido, Philaethria
- Dione juno
- Doleschallia bisaltide
- Doris Longwing
- Dryadula phaetusa
- Dryas iulia
E
F
G
- glaucippe, Hebomoia
- Golden Birdwing
- Great Eggfly
- Graphium agamemnon
- Great Orange Tip
- Green Doris
- Gulf Fritillary
H
- Hamadryas sp.
- Hebomoia glaucippe
- Hecale Longwing
- Heliconius charitonia
- Heliconius cydno
- Heliconius doris
- Heliconius erato
- Heliconius hecale
- Heliconius hewitsoni
- Heliconius ismenius
- Heliconius melpomene
- Heliconius sapho
- Heliconius sara
- Hewitson’s Longwing
- hipponous, Papilio
- Hypolimnas bolina
I
J
K
L
M
- Malachite
- melpomene, Heliconius
- memnon, Caligo
- Mime, Common
- Monarch
- Mormon, Banded
- Mormon, Common
- Morpho, Blue
- Morpho peleides
- Moth, Atlas
N
O
P
- Pachliopta kotzebuea
- Page, Bamboo
- palinurus, Papilio
- Papilio demoleus
- Papilio hipponous
- Papilio lowi
- Papilio palinurus
- Papilio polytes
- Papilio rumanzovia
- Parthenos sylvia
- peleides, Morpho
- phaetusa, Dryadula
- Philaethria dido
- Pink Rose
- Plain Tiger
- plexippus, Danaus
- polytes, Papilio
- Postman
- Postman, Small
R
- rhadamantus, Troides
- Red Doris
- Red Lacewing
- Rice Paper
- Rose, Velvet(Pink)
- Rothschild Moth
- Rumanzovia Swallowtail
- Rusty-tipped Page
S
- Sapho Longwing
- Sara Longwing
- Silver-Spotted Flambeau
- Siproeta epaphus
- Siproeta stelenes
- Small Postman
- stelenes, Siproeta
- sylvia, Parthenos
- Swallowtail, Asian
- Swallowtail, Emerald
- Swallowtail, Rumanzovia
T
- Tarricina
- Tailed Jay
- Tiger, Ismenius
- Tiger Longwing
- Tiger, Plain
- Tithorea tarricina
- Troidian Birdwing
- Troides rhadamantus