There are many, many people who love to watch butterflies as they flit through the air slowly and gracefully. If you never have, you certainly should! Butterflies provide beauty in an often ugly world. They give us insight into the world of nature and how wonderful and complex it is. But the butterfly is much more than that.
Humans need butterflies. Often unnoticed, they play an important role in maintaining the balance of nature and health of the living world. Butterflies pollinate wild plants and our crops, ensuring the production of seeds and fruits required for the continued survival of plants and animals, including humans.
Due to their fragility to ecological change, butterflies are elegant indicators of ecosystem health. Plus, Butterflies are a valuable source of food for songbirds.
There are over 17,000 species of butterflies worldwide – 7,000 of which are in North America alone. Butterflies weigh as little as 2 rose petals, but they can fly worldwide.
