Where do butterflies live?

Question

Where do butterflies live?

Answer 1

Narnia...

Answer 2

In the butter dish.

When they're not flying around during the day or in trees and bushes after dark that is.

Answer 3

In my garden.

Answer 4

Butterflies live in whatever environment meets their specific needs.  

For instance, the Large Blue (which had become extinct in Britain but was reintroduced using stock from Sweden) lives on hillsides where wild thyme grows and a particular sort of ant lives.  Wild thyme is the caterpillar's food plant, and (following a bizarre chain of events too detailed to go into here) the ants "raise" the caterpillar in their nest.  Without the thyme, which can only grow if the hillside is grazed, and the ants, no Large Blues will live out their life cycle there.

Purple Emperors, on the other hand, are found in mature oak woodland.  They lay their eggs on the sallows that grow among the oaks and the males can often be seen (if you're lucky) fighting their territory above the tops of the oak trees on summer days.

As for where butterflies go when it's dark or rainy, many shelter amongst foliage or in tree crevices - anywhere where they will be safe from the damaging drops of rain or night-time predators.

In the winter, some butterflies will hibernate - the Red Admiral is particularly good at this, which is why they can often be found in workshops and sheds from February/March.

Some butterflies have already spent a winter in their pre-butterfly state, either as a caterpillar or a pupa.

Answer 5

At night or during bad weather, butterflies will usually hang from the undersides of leaves, or crawl into crevices between rocks or other objects, and sleep.

Because of weather, predators, and many other factors they only survive from about 2 to 14 days. Butterflies which hibernate or go into reproductive diapause also tend to live longer.

Answer 6

In a cocoon inside of trees.

Answer 7

In the 'tummies' of many singers and actors before going on stage!