Butterflies (Papilionoidea) come in a remarkable variety of colors and patterns, from the orange majesty of the monarch to the lustrous red and blue of the peacock butterfly, but all butterflies ...

The egg hatches into a caterpillar, whose main job is to eat and grow rapidly, often consuming its own eggshell first for nutrients.

The Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) was probably the first butterfly I ever noticed, long before I learned its name. This rather nondescript insect may be among the most familiar butterflies worldwide.