In 1906, naturalist Albert Stewart Meek discovered a butterfly so large that it defied belief. Living high in the canopies of Papua New Guinea, the Queen Alexandra birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) ...

DNA extracted from a preserved 93-year-old Xerces blue butterfly confirms it is first known insect to go extinct from urbanization in the US. The butterfly, with stunning, iridescent periwinkle wings, ...

It’s been roughly 80 years since the Xerces blue butterfly was last spotted flitting about on pastel wings across coastal California sand dunes. But scientists are still learning about the insect. The ...

Large butterfly-like insects known as Kalligrammatid lacewings, which fluttered through Eurasian fern- and cycad-filled woodland during the Mesozoic Era, have been extinct for more than 120 million ...

Have you seen any dead butterflies lately? If so, the U.S. Geological Survey wants you to mail them their way, along with deceased moths and skippers. The agency is collecting specimens from six ...

The first insectile casualty of human activity in the United States was recorded around 80 years ago, new research has confirmed. The insect, the Xerces blue butterfly, died out in the mid-20th ...

Janet E. Springer is a farmer who keeps most of her livestock in her suburban Hampstead home, penned in the living and dining rooms. Springer owns Maryland’s only known butterfly farm, a 2-year-old ...