Butterflies probably first evolved about 150 million years ago, appearing at about the same time as the flowering (or angiosperm) plants. Of the 220,000 species of Lepidoptera, about 45,000 species are butterflies, which probably evolved from moths. Butterflies are found throughout the world, except in Antarctica, and are especially numerous in the tropics. They fall into eight families: Papilionidae (swallowtail butterflies), Pieridae (whites), Danaidae (milkweeds), Satyridae (browns), Morphidae (morphos), Nymphalidae (nymphalids), Lycaenidae (blues), and Hesperidae (skippers).
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6 months ago
Here's my understanding... Micro-evolution assumes minor changes within a species based on adaptation and natural selection. Macro-evolution assumes we start with molecules and, given enough time and genetic mutations, we get man and all other life forms. I have no problem with micro-evolution. We see it all the time. But here's what I don't get. How did the chrysalis evolve incrementally? A monarch caterpillar can't, to my understanding, reproduce--only the butterflies can do that. How did the first "butterflies" live through the early days as they incrementally and randomly mutated the ability to change from crawler to flier? How did they get the information to understand how to fly at the same time they developed the physical structures to do so. And why do monarch fossils from millions of years ago look essentially the same as today? And where are the intermediate forms between caterpillars and butterflies? Doesn't it seem there's a whole lot of Goldilocks Effect going on: everything had to be "just right"? If you're worried about "design" being about "faith", I'm afraid the incremental evolution of the butterfly is not without plenty of faith, requiring its share of suspension of disbelief.