Unfortunately a butterfly doesn’t have too long a lifespan. On average most butterflies only live about a month; the female butterflies tend to live a bit longer than the males though. In fact, the longest lifespan of a butterfly that has been documented is about one year. This is why it is so important to the butterfly to breed and lay eggs so that new versions of this insect species can hatch and then go through the same process from caterpillar to cocoon to adult butterfly. Another great lesson for kids to learn through the butterfly is about the circle of life.