New World Tropical Butterfly Pictures

Butterfly Resources Types of Butterflies Morpho Butterflies Blue Wave Cattleheart Butterflies Cracker Butterflies Longwing Butterflies Owl Butterflies

Butterflies are generally considered warm weather insects and they are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Year round warm weather means the tropical areas host the largest diversity of butterflies.

Because butterflies are people pleasing insects, communities across the United States continue to build butterfly gardens to bring the butterflies to the people. Increasingly, these gardens feature tropical butterflies to promote learning about the fauna and flora of different regions around the world.

This album presents a handful of New World tropical butterflies, commonly found from Mexico to the northern part of South America. With the exception of the cattlehearts and morphos, the listed butterflies belong to the Nymphalidae or brushfooted butterfly family.

These groups of butterflies are of interest not only for their beauty, but also because a changing climate suggests that some species, such as cattlehearts and longwings, might find habitation in the United States more amenable.

Regardless of their potential migratory status, all species in the listed groups share some characteristics with their North American counterparts. Learning about them introduces a comparative perspective for increasing one's understanding of native butterfly species.

© 2008 Patricia A. Michaels