Butterflies “Lepidoptera Rhopalocera” are winged insects and they are the only group of insects that have scales covering their wings. They differ from other insects also by their ability to coil up their proboscis. Immatures or the larvae are called “Caterpillars”. Sri Lanka is home to 245 species of butterflies with 23 of these being endemic to the island. They are nearly worldwide in their distribution, reaching up to 6000 species.