This is a question that no doubt younger kids could very well ask and one that no doubt some of us may have pondered at one time or another. However, there are several stories surrounding how the name actually came to be for this insect. Unfortunately, no one really knows for sure since the name dates back centuries. One legend is that witches would turn into beautiful flying insects to steal milk and butter. Another legend is that kids may live a bit more because of the fact that this insect comes out in the spring. While doing so the butterfly would appear flying around while milk was being churned into butter on farms and the name sort of stuck. But these are just a few legends and no one really knows for sure where the name actually came from.