Dead Butterflies

A regular question we hear around the garden is “Why are there dead butterflies on the ground behind the plants?”. The answer: butterflies live very short lives and the plant pots are heavy. Here at BioWorks our butterflies are able to live a comfortable life without many of the dangers of the wild. Nothing is trying to eat them and there is plenty of food and mates, but still they will eventually die.

After just a few weeks, the adult butterfly has reached the end of its life and they will struggle with flight or just be unable to fly. At the end of their short lives, butterflies quietly pass away. In the wild, scavengers will go to work on the remains of the butterfly and in a few days there will be no trace left of the body.

Here in BioWorks we have a massive concentration of butterflies with multiple dozens or even hundreds of adult butterflies depending upon the time of year. Each one of those butterflies will eventually die and without the scavengers of the wild and the moisture of the ground, they break down very slowly. Any time you have a lot of butterflies, you will eventually have a lot of dead butterflies.

When we find dead butterflies we either place them into the base of a plant pot so they can break down naturally or, if the butterfly is in good condition, use the dead butterfly for educational programs. In the BioWorks Classroom, we always have dead butterflies available under the microscope you you can look closely at their wings and bodies.

Every few weeks we drag all of the pots away from the screen walls and sweep behind them which takes care of any dead butterflies we could not previously reach. Until someone invents lighter dirt, this process will remain a great deal of heavy work often done by two women under five feet in height.

I am happy to assure anyone who asks that the butterflies of BioWorks are very well provided for and live comfortable lives longer than they would in nature. When these butterflies die, it is only because they have already mated, laid eggs and then reached the end of their lives.

The Short Lives of Butterflies: Lifespan of butterflies is determined by a combination of species longevity and by environmental factors. Each species will live anywhere between a day and their maximum lifespan in what is referred to as their “expected lifespan”. After emerging from chrysalis in the wild, butterflies must contend with a host of predators, weather factors and environmental conditions which all may serve to shorten the life of a butterfly.

The maximum lifespan for a butterfly is about ten to forty days but some species can live as few as three to five days or as long as a year. In captivity, butterflies can live closer to their maximum lifespan. With the best of environmental conditions, abundant food, plentiful choices in mates and the removal of predators, butterflies can live a great deal longer than they would in the wild.

• The Karner Blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) lives between 3 and 5 days.
• The Great Southern White butterfly lives about 5 to 10 days with males living shorter life spans than females.
• Black Swallowtails live about two weeks as adult butterflies.
• Many species of butterflies live about 2 weeks to a month on average.
• Monarch butterflies usually live 1 to 4 months.
• Zebra Longwing butterflies can live 3 to 9 months.
• The Mourning Cloak butterfly can live 10 to 11 months.
• A migrating Monarch butterfly can live up to 12 months.