Butterflies have three pairs of legs. A butterfly s most noticeable feature is its two pairs of wings. The wings are covered with thousands of tiny, colorful scales - about 125,000 scales per square inch. The scales overlap, like shingles on a roof. The scales come off easily.
Some butterflies look like other kinds of butterflies to confuse birds.
This imitation is called mimicry . Six Common Butterfly Families Pictured below are common Minnesota butterflies. Each one belongs to a family of similar kinds of butterflies. Butterflies and moths belong to the insect group called Lepidoptera . You are more likely to see butterflies during the day.