butterfly

[kopend]

if a butterfly damages its wing will it grow back?
or even loses a wing

[goldilocks24]

a butterfly only lives for 24 hours

[Hapus]

BS - a butterfly lives for between 2-3 weeks.

[Catso]

That's a mayfly, goldilocks24.

Butterflies have a range of life-spans, weeks and longer. Don't some even over-winter, in a dormant state?

[Catso]

To answer the Q: no, they can't regrow a wing and they can't repair damage to a wing. I think the wings are basically dead, aren't they? Pumped up when they hatch and then isolated?

If they can't fly, then they'll die, from starvation or predators.

[nickmo]

And longer - several hibernate over winter for example, the Comma or the Peacock and some like the Monarch in the US migrate as much as 2000 miles

I'm pretty sure that as the butterfly develops from a larval / pupa stage they can not re-grow damaged wings though.

[Thunderbird+]

Butterfly wings often get danaged and they survive amazingly well with ragged wings but i dont think it can grow a wing back.
If up to30% of a wing tip is missing, it is possible to snip the other wing to match it, to restore even flight, in some cases its also possible to repair damaged wings with a contact adhesive ( often done in Butterfly farms)
Typical life cycle -
1, egg-2-4 days

2,caterpillar (larva)2-3 weeks

3,pupa (chrysalis) 1-4 weeks

4. adult 2-4 weeks.
Some species caterpillars that over-winter ie the peacock may live as long as 11 months.

[naz_nomad]

No idea ...but fascinating reading the other answers ... thanks for asking the question