Eventually, a beautiful butterfly is released from this container, flying heavenward, fully-developed. The adult usually eventually returns to the very plant or tree trunk where it grew up. The color in a butterfly's wings does not come from pigment. The color is produced prism-like by light reflected by their transparent wing scales. The life span of most butterflies is very short, usually just enough to lay their eggs.
Many butterflies migrate from one region to another, either individually or in swarms.
The greatest migration in North America occurs when companies of Monarch butterflies travel from Canada southward to Central America. It is a great mystery how the descendants of these Monarchs later find their way back north to their summering place. The world's fastest butterfly is the Monarch with a record of 17 miles per hour. The brain capabilities of these small insects is mind-boggling. Their highly-miniaturized brains put our computers and aircraft avionics to shame.