Butterflies | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/butterflies/RSS feed for ButterfliesenFri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000Butterflies Around the World Are Moving to New Habitats, Largely Because of Climate Change, a Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/butterflies-around-the-world-are-moving-to-new-habitats-largely-because-of-climate-change-a-study-suggests-180989279/Researchers examined data on 1,758 butterfly species—about ten percent of all those known—from 105 countries and estimated that about one in ten global species has shifted its distribution rangeFri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/butterflies-around-the-world-are-moving-to-new-habitats-largely-because-of-climate-change-a-study-suggests-180989279/These Butterflies Can Live 25 Times Longer Than Their Relatives. They Might Provide Insights Into Healthy Aging in Humanshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-butterflies-can-live-25-times-longer-than-their-relatives-they-might-provide-insights-into-healthy-aging-in-humans-180988993/Their unusual diet of pollen—rather than nectar—might partially explain why members of the Heliconius genus live so long, up to nearly a yearTue, 23 Jun 2026 15:47:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-butterflies-can-live-25-times-longer-than-their-relatives-they-might-provide-insights-into-healthy-aging-in-humans-180988993/David Attenborough Has Inspired Countless Scientists. To Mark His 100th Birthday, Here Are Ten Living Things They've Named After Himhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/david-attenborough-has-inspired-countless-scientists-to-mark-his-100th-birthday-here-are-ten-living-things-theyve-named-after-him-180988693/Researchers around the planet grew up watching documentaries hosted by the English broadcaster and naturalist, which sparked their love of the natural world. Now, their discoveries become tributes to his legacyThu, 07 May 2026 20:07:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/david-attenborough-has-inspired-countless-scientists-to-mark-his-100th-birthday-here-are-ten-living-things-theyve-named-after-him-180988693/Butterflies Are in Dramatic Decline Across North America. A Close Look at the Western Monarch Shows Whyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/butterflies-are-in-dramatic-decline-across-north-america-a-close-look-at-the-western-monarch-shows-why-180988582/Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change have taken their toll on the beloved insects. But the experts working with them still find hope for their futureFri, 24 Apr 2026 15:42:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/butterflies-are-in-dramatic-decline-across-north-america-a-close-look-at-the-western-monarch-shows-why-180988582/Needy Caterpillars Vibrate to Complex Rhythms to Communicate With Antshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/needy-caterpillars-vibrate-to-complex-rhythms-to-communicate-with-ants-180988265/Researchers have found that some butterfly caterpillars mimic the meticulously timed movements of ants to win their favor and protectionThu, 26 Feb 2026 22:07:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/needy-caterpillars-vibrate-to-complex-rhythms-to-communicate-with-ants-180988265/See the Beauty of Corals, Beehives, Mushrooms and More in These 11 Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awardshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-beauty-of-corals-beehives-mushrooms-and-more-in-these-11-images-from-the-close-up-photographer-of-the-year-awards-180988154/Now in its seventh year, the competition honors macro, micro and close-up images snapped around the worldFri, 06 Feb 2026 20:16:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-beauty-of-corals-beehives-mushrooms-and-more-in-these-11-images-from-the-close-up-photographer-of-the-year-awards-180988154/These Beetles Are Entirely Dependent on Ants for Survival. Here's Why That's Not an Evolutionary Death Sentencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-beetles-are-entirely-dependent-on-ants-for-survival-heres-why-thats-not-an-evolutionary-death-sentence-180988137/Rove beetles cloak themselves in ant pheromones to sneak into the insects’ nests for protection. But in an odd catch-22, that makes them forever reliant on their hostsThu, 05 Feb 2026 16:01:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-beetles-are-entirely-dependent-on-ants-for-survival-heres-why-thats-not-an-evolutionary-death-sentence-180988137/Beavers are Dam Good for Biodiversity, Bringing Bats, Butterflies and Other Critters to Their Neighborhoodshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/beavers-are-dam-good-for-biodiversity-bringing-bats-butterflies-and-other-critters-to-their-neighborhoods-180987717/Two new studies suggest that the semi-aquatic rodents provide food and habitat for bats and pollinator insects within their engineered ecosystemsThu, 20 Nov 2025 23:09:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/beavers-are-dam-good-for-biodiversity-bringing-bats-butterflies-and-other-critters-to-their-neighborhoods-180987717/To Hide From Predators, Some Animals Camouflage Into Their Surroundings, While Others Display Bright Colors as a Warning. What Keeps Them Safest?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hide-from-predators-some-animals-camouflage-surroundings-others-display-bright-colors-warning-what-keeps-safest-180987418/While many circumstances factor into the calculation, researchers found in a new study that local predators, not appearance alone, had the greatest impact on a color strategy’s successTue, 30 Sep 2025 16:30:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hide-from-predators-some-animals-camouflage-surroundings-others-display-bright-colors-warning-what-keeps-safest-180987418/Scientists Are Tracking Worrying Declines in Insects—and the Birds That Feast on Them. Here's What's Being Done to Save Them Bothhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-shared-fate-180986805/In Vermont, researchers have investigated the types of creepy, crawly bugs that their avian predators consume and may have found the answers to keeping them both aliveFri, 27 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-shared-fate-180986805/