Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis)

The first rare butterfly we are starting with is the kaiser-i-hind butterfly, also known as the Emperor of India. It is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly native to the Eastern Himalayas- Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, West Bengal, and Sikkim.

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae)

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is next on our list of rare butterfly species. Albert S. Meek discovered this species in Papua New Guinea in 1906. He was a naturalist to Walter Rothschild, who named the butterfly after the wife of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra of Denmark.

Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)

Zebra Longwing , the state butterfly of Florida, is a neotropical butterfly native to Mexico, Central America, Florida, and some parts of Texas. It has long black wings with bold and narrow yellow stripe and a wingspan of 72 to 100 mm.

Lange’s Metalmark (Apodemia mormo langei)

Next on our list of rare butterflies is Lange’s metalmark butterfly. Its flight period starts in early August and goes up until mid or late September. Lange’s metalmark is a small butterfly with a wing length of about 25 mm. Its wing colors are orange and brown, with white spots, while its hindwings are gray-brown.

Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii)

Bhutan Glory is an endangered butterfly native to the eastern Himalayas (north-eastern India and Bhutan) and the Hengduan Mountains (south-western China and Myanmar). There are four subspecies of Bhutan glory: Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory, Mansfield’s Bhutan Glory, and Chinese Bhutan Glory.

Luzon Peacock Swallowtail (Papilio chikae)

Next on our list of rare butterflies is the Luzon peacock swallowtail. This beautiful long-tailed butterfly is native to Luzon, northern Philippines, and has green-black, red, and purple colors.

Leona’s Little Blue (Philotiella leona)

Leona’s little blue butterfly is one of the rarest butterflies in the world. It is a small butterfly with a 0.75-inch wing width. Leona’s Little Blue is native to Klamath County, Oregon, United States, and is the only butterfly endemic to Oregon. You can only find it in a specific area in Oregon: six square miles of ash-pumice habitat southeast of Crater Lake.

Menelaus Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)

Blue Morpho butterfly is next on our list of rare butterflies worldwide. It is one of the largest butterflies in nature. It is native to the rainforests of Central America, Mexico, and South America. The blue morpho is a beauty with iridescent blue wings and black borders. The underside of their wings is dull brown with black eyespots.

Palos Verdes Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis)

The Palos Verdes blue butterfly is a subspecies of silvery blue butterfly. It is one of the rarest butterflies native to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California. The IUCN listed it as endangered in 1980 because of habitat destruction, climate change, and non-native plant invasion.

Miami Blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri)

Miami Blue is a rare butterfly native to Florida, particularly the Key West and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges in the Florida Keys. It is one of the most endangered butterflies in the United States.

Island Marble Butterfly (Euchloe ausonides insulana)

The island marble butterfly is next on our list of rare butterflies. It is native to the San Juan Islands, Washington State. The species' preferred habitats are open grasslands, native prairie, fields, pastures, gravel pits, lagoon margins, marine beaches, and dunes.

Schaus’ Swallowtail (Papilio aristodemus)

Schaus’ swallowtail is among the rarest butterflies in the United States and South Florida. The critically endangered species started going extinct in 1924 because of habitat loss, insecticide use, over-collection, and housing development. A few hundred existed in 1972 until a local mosquito control district sprayed insecticides, Dibrom and Baytex.

Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus)

Ruddy Daggeerwing is a rare butterfly native to Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, Central America, and South America. Its upper wings are bright orange with black outlines, while the underside is brown and black.