Butterflies and Moths at Butterfly Wonderland

Photographed in 2013, the year Butterfly Wonderland opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, this collection documents tropical butterflies and moths within the facility’s emergence gallery and 10,000-square-foot (929-square-meter) indoor conservatory. The climate-controlled conservatory recreates warm, humid rainforest conditions and contains thousands of free-flying butterflies from around the world.

Butterflies and moths belong to the insect order Lepidoptera, whose members have microscopic scales covering their wings. About 17,500 butterfly species have been described worldwide, including approximately 750 in the United States.

Lepidoptera undergo complete metamorphosis through four stages: egg, larva or caterpillar, pupa and adult. A butterfly pupa is commonly called a chrysalis. Many moth caterpillars spin a protective silk cocoon around the pupa, although not every moth species does so.

Several of the photographed butterflies have prominent wing eyespots. Research indicates that eyespots can serve different functions among species, including startling predators or redirecting attacks toward less vulnerable parts of the wings. The photographs document both the visual diversity of tropical Lepidoptera and biological adaptations associated with development and predator avoidance.