Butterfly Conservatory Longevity Study

Butterfly Lifespan Study

Butterfly Pavilion monitors some of the butterflies in our conservatories to study the lifespans of species in our care.

How long do butterflies live? That’s a common question asked at Butterfly Pavilion! The answer is that the lifespan of a butterfly depends on many factors, such as their diet, environment, and species.

At Butterfly Pavilion, we are studying the lifespan of butterflies in both our Wings of the Tropics exhibit in Westminster and at the butterfly house at the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins.

Our Lepidopterist Manager leads staff and volunteers in tagging butterflies with small colored stickers with identifying numbers, then releasing them into the exhibits. As staff work in the exhibits, they record when they observe tagged butterflies, allowing us to track the lifespan of individual butterflies and estimate the average longevity of the different butterfly species in our care.

We’ve found some butterflies living over six months in our exhibits!

The data collected on butterfly behavior and longevity helps us improve our care and welfare practices in the conservatory, and make sure our butterflies are as happy and healthy as possible.

Butterfly Quest

Butterfly Pavilion’s Butterfly Quest is a unique opportunity to assist with Butterfly Pavilion’s Butterfly lifespan research, while exploring the world of animal behavior. Help observe tagged butterflies, record meaningful data, and share your discoveries — all on your phone. By participating in Butterfly Quest, you are helping our scientists shape animal welfare here and in zoos around the world!

Butterfly houses, like our Wings of The Tropics, offer a unique opportunity to understand and observe the lifespan of different butterfly species. We are always looking for new ways to improve animal care. To do this with our butterflies, we need to know how long they live and how they behave while under our care.

To collect this data, we tag some butterflies upon emergence from their chrysalides. We can then track individuals and truly understand how our butterflies spend their time in their home.

This is where YOU come in! Your contributions to Butterfly Quest help us expand our knowledge of butterflies.

Receive 10% discount on items in Butterfly Pavilion’s gift shop by completing a quest, submitting a form, and taking a survey!

Fun facts about Butterfly Quest

• In 2022, guests submitted more than 2,000 observations
• The longest butterfly lifespan recorded in Butterfly Pavilion’s conservatory was 10 months and 23 days (almost 11 months!).
• The most tagged butterflies were common morphos, followed by common giant owls, and paper kites. In 2022, over 2,200 butterflies were tagged!
• Little is scientifically known about invertebrates, even for butterflies. Butterfly Quest helps inform the latest science on butterfly biology and expands our understanding of tropical insects.
• Butterfly Quest is a community science program, a people-driven way of collecting data and welcoming everyone into taking a hands-on approach to science.