content: Hate to be that other guy but...  Butterflies are part of the class of insects in the order Lepidoptera  and  Like most other insects, butterflies and moths are holometabolous, meaning they undergo complete metamorphosis. Mating and the laying of eggs are carried out by adults, normally near or on host plants for the larvae. The larvae are commonly called caterpillars...  Caterpillars are insects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidoptera