There isn't one single "rarest" butterfly, as rarity can be defined by population size, habitat, or location, but top contenders include the Palos Verdes Blue (limited to one California site), Miami Blue (critically endangered), and Australia's Purple Copper Butterfly, all facing severe threats from habitat loss, though conservation efforts are ongoing for many species like the Saint Francis' Satyr and Large Blue.
The little Palos Verdes blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis), with its cerulean blue wings and body, competes with the Miami blue for the title of rarest butterfly in the world. A subspecies of the silvery blue, it is found in California's Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Papilio antimachus, also called African giant swallowtail, is the most poisonous butterfly in the world. It contains a lot of cardiac steroid toxins. The toxin in a male Papilio antimachus can poison 20 cats. The males have narrow forewings with a maximum wingspan of 25cm, ranking first among all the male butterflies.
The Purple Copper butterfly (Paralucia spinifera), also known as the Bathurst Copper, is widely considered one of Australia's rarest and most endangered butterflies, restricted to tiny, isolated patches in the Central Tablelands of NSW and Namadgi National Park, relying on a specific blackthorn bush and ant species for survival, making its habitat extremely fragile.
The blue morpho is a rainforest butterfly known for the stunning iridescent blue color of its wings. With a wingspan of up to 20 cm / 7.9 in, the blue morpho is also one of the world's largest butterflies.
The Gold Butterfly is a harmless Critter. It is a rare, golden recolor of an ordinary Butterfly. It has a 1/400 (0.25%) / 1/150 (0.67%) chance of spawning in place of a regular Butterfly. As with all other gold critters, it can be caught with a Bug Net and sold for 10.
There's no single "prettiest," but Australia's most famous and stunning butterflies include the Ulysses Swallowtail (electric blue, black trim) and the giant Cairns Birdwing (male black with emerald green, large size), alongside beautiful species like the Blue Banded Eggfly, Cruiser, and endangered Golden Ray Blue, showcasing diverse vibrant colors and patterns across tropical and temperate regions.
Palos Verdes Blue butterflies (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis) are among the rarest in the United States. Native only to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California, they were nearly extinct.
And here we come to the final invertebrate in this article about Earth's 7 Rarest Butterflies, the rarest of them all, the Miami Blue. Incredibly, the truly gorgeous Miami Blue represents one of the rarest insects in all of North America.
Whether this story is gospel or apocryphal, the monarch regardless is a majestic insect worthy of the title. Metamorphosis, mimicry, and a mind-blowing migration may indeed make it the king of all butterflies.
Butterflies are not expressly found in Scripture, but as part of God's natural creation, they provide a beautiful picture of spiritual transformation. The metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly has striking parallels to Christian conversion, resurrection, and transfiguration.
7 of the weirdest butterflies in the world
The queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 80–85 mm (31⁄8–33⁄8 in).
The endangered purple copper butterfly (Paralucia spinifera) is only known to occur in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, around Bathurst, Oberon and Lithgow. This species was identified by scientists in 2021 as one of 26 Australian butterflies at greatest risk of extinction.
Monarch. It's the world's most famous kind of butterfly. The monarch is renowned for its migration, when multiple generations work their way north during spring and summer, then a fall generation flies all the way to southern Mexico or to the California coast to spend the winter.
These creatures help our gardens and bring so much joy to many peoples lives.
South & Central America: Rhetus Periander. This vibrant blue butterfly can be found in Southern Mexico and Ecuador in coastal areas. With a wingspan of up to 60mm in males, this beautiful butterfly is incredibly rare. It is mostly spotted in close proximity to streams or rivers or through cloudforest habitats.
Do butterflies sleep? Butterflies don't sleep like people do, but many species do take a rest in groups, a behavior called "roosting." Some may pause for just a night, while others roost for the entire winter season. Roosting together helps protect butterflies from predators and preserves energy for long migrations.
Butterfly wings display beautiful patterns and colors that do not come from pigments like those in other animals. Instead, they are the result of optical phenomena known as iridescence and structural coloration.
The Obrina Olivewing butterfly is the only observed animal that internally produces a blue pigment; the scales of other blue butterflies are complex structures that only refract blue light.
Teinopalpus imperialis. Teinopalpus imperialis, the Kaisar-i-Hind, is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly found from Nepal and north east India to north Vietnam. The common name literally means "emperor of India". The Kaisar-i-Hind is much sought after by butterfly collectors for its beauty and rarity.
It's been said "When God sends a butterfly" which appears at a meaningful time it's a divine message, symbolizing hope, reassurance, and God's presence, especially during transformational moments.
Santa Cruz remains California's overwintering hotspot in 2025. Natural Bridges State Beach and Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz County remain this season's strongest hotspots–with over a thousand butterflies each–and are both open for public viewing.
Orange is a common butterfly color, which can make distinguishing between butterfly species difficult. But these butterflies all have unique patterns and markings which help them survive.