The Largest and the Smallest

“Kill not the moth nor butterfly.”—WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827).

DID you ever watch a butterfly flutter by? Who but the most insensitive of creatures does not stop in his tracks to admire the beauty and fragility of this dainty insect? And they are found all over the world in such variety of size and design that there are said to be anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 species!

What is the largest butterfly you have ever seen? If you live in Papua New Guinea, then you might have seen the largest in the world—Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, with a wingspan of about 11 inches [of up to 280 mm]. If your home is in North or Central America, you might have been privileged to see a Homerus swallowtail, with a wingspan of up to six inches [150 mm]. The largest butterfly in Africa is the African giant swallowtail, which has a wingspan of just over nine inches [of up to 230 mm].

What about the smallest butterflies? Where are they found? The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies, by Dr. John Feltwell, states that “the North American Pygmy blue . . . is probably the smallest butterfly in the world, with a wingspan of 1/2–3/4in (15-19mm).” The smallest butterfly in Britain is the small blue, with a wingspan of seven eighths of an inch [24 mm].

In many parts of the world, there are butterfly houses where you can walk around and actually have these winged beauties settle on you. You can learn so much about this fascinating creation and its life cycle—its metamorphosis from a tiny egg to a caterpillar to a chrysalis to a full-fledged butterfly. So the next time you see a butterfly flutter by, stop, admire, and wonder. You will be looking at a miracle—whether large or small!

[Pictures on page 24, 25]

The largest and the smallest butterflies, the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing and the pygmy blue (both actual size)

[Credit Lines]

Butterflies: Allyn Museum of Entomology, Florida Museum of Natural History