One of the questions frequently asked by visitors to the NABA web site is "what is a group of butterflies called." For lack of a better answer, we've been saying "a bunch." We all know a covey of quail, a pride of lions, a school of fish and a pod of whales. The great majority of these terms derive from hunting activities. Recently, NABA board member Brian Cassie was leafing through his copy of "An Exaltation of Larks" by James Lipton (1991. Viking), a book that lists a huge number of names of assemblage, and he realized that there was no word given for a group of butterflies. Mr. Cassie suggested that perhaps NABA should provide one! So, here is the deal. Give us your best word. Send us your suggestion for a word to use for a group of butterflies. A NABA committee will evaluate your suggestions and pare them down to a few strong contenders. We will then send these out to NABA members for a vote. The choice of NABA members will be the word we use in NABA publications. Who knows, maybe everyone will use it! Below are two lists of suggestions. One for a "group of butterflies" and one for a "particular group of butterflies". The suggestions on the list are those that have been submitted to the NABA. If you would like to submit a suggestions, just email it to: sightings@naba.org
|
Group of Butterflies |
Particular Group of Butterflies | |
| An adornment of butterflies | A fluttering of butterflies | An abominable amount of Red Admirals |
| An aggregation of butterflies | A flutts of butterflies | A bag of Marbles |
| An aloft of butterflies | A friendship of butterflies | A battalion of Soldiers |
| An armada of Butterflies | A galaxy of butterflies | A bleach of Whites |
| An ascension of Butterflies | A gale of butterflies | A blizzard of Whites |
| An assemblage of butterflies | A gallery of butterflies | A blush of Blues |
| A baffle of butterflies | A gathering of butterflies | A Boatload of Red Admiral |
| A baleful of butterflies | A gift of butterflies | A bounty Blues |
| A ballet of butterflies | A glide of butterflies | A brunch of Crescents |
| A band of butterflies | A glory of butterflies | A castle of Queens |
| A bang of butterflies | A glow of butterflies | A cauldron of Sulphurs |
| A banquet of butterflies | A gossamer of butterflies | A chimney of Sootywings |
| A barrage of butterflies | A grace of butterflies | A cloister of Sisters |
| A bash of butterflies | A guild of butterflies | A color of Purples |
| A battalion of butterflies | A gust of butterflies | A comb of Tortoiseshells |
| A bazaar of butterflies | A hover of butterflies | A conclave of Red Admirals |
| A beating of butterflies | A kaleidescope of butterflies | A confusion of Fritillaries |
| A beau monde | A kaleidoscope of butterflies | A court of Monarchs |
| A bee bop of butterflies | A kiss of butterflies | A crown of Ringlets |
| A bevy of butterflies | A lavish of butterflies | A darkness of Duskywings |
| A blanket of butterflies | A lift of butterflies | A dash of Skippers |
| A blast of butterflies | A majesty of butterflies | A display of Peacocks |
| A blessing of butterflies | A melody of butterflies | A draft of Soldiers |
| A blip of butterflies | A melt of Butterflies | A dynasty of Monarchs |
| A bliss of butterflies | A mist of butterflies | An eclipse of Crescents |
| A bloom of butterflies | A monet of butterflies | A fantasy of Fritillaries |
| A blur of butterflies | A multitude of butterflies | A fleet of Admirals or Skippers |
| A blush of butterflies | An organza of butterflies | A fleet of Skippers |
| A body of butterflies | An ovation of butterflies | A Flock of Birdwings |
| A bonanza of butterflies | A palette of butterflies | A flotilla of Admirals |
| A bonnet of butterflies | A pat of butterflies | A flut of Red Admirals |
| A boom of butterflies | A pillage of butterflies | A forge of Metalmarks |
| A bough of butterflies | A plethora of butterflies | A funeral of Mourning Cloaks |
| A bounty of butterflies | A plume of butterflies | A game of Checkerspots |
| A bouquet of butterflies | A prayer of butterflies | A ghost of Gossamers |
| A breeze of butterflies | A prize of butterflies | A glass of Clearwings |
| A brigade of butterflies | A qualtchy of butterflies | A haze of Azures |
| A brilliance of butterflies | A quantity of butterflies | A herd of Zebras |
| A bubble of butterflies | A quaver of butterflies | An inquiry of Question Marks |
| A buckling of butterflies | A quilt of butterflies | A kettle of Coppers |
| A buffet of butterflies | A quiver of butterflies | A lineage of Monarchs |
| A bumble of butterflies | A quivy of butterflies | A majesty of Monarchs, Queens, etc |
| A bundle of butterflies | A rabble of butterflies | A march of Soldiers |
| A burst of butterflies | A radiance of butterflies | A meeting of Monarchs |
| A bustle of butterflies | A reception of butterflies | A migration of Monarchs |
| A cadenza of butterflies | A reunion of butterflies | A multitude of monarchs |
| A cascade of butterflies | A revelation of butterflies | A myth of Nymphs |
| A casting of butterflies | A riot of butterflies | A pane of Glassywings |
| A charm of butterflies | A rise of butterflies | A parade of Queens |
| A churn of butterflies | A roost of butterflies | A Pride of Tigers |
| A clinging of butterflies | A rule of monarchs | A procession of Viceroys |
| A cloud of butterflies | A rush of butterflies | A protuberance of Snouts |
| A cluster of butterflies | A sail of butterflies | A Puddle of Butterflies |
| A clutter of butterflies | A score of butterflies | A puddling of Blues |
| A confusion of butterflies | A sea of butterflies | A punctuation of Commas |
| A congress of butterflies | A shimmer of butterflies | A quiver of Monarchs |
| A convergence of butterflies | A shower of butterflies | A rhythm of Blues |
| A course of butterflies | A shroud of butterflies | A salon of Hairstreaks |
| A current of butterflies | A sojourn of butterflies | A shadow of Duskywings |
| A dance of butterflies | A spangle of butterflies | A shroud of Mourning Cloaks |
| A dappling of butterflies | A spectrum of butterflies | A slaw of Cabbage Whites |
| A dazzle of butterflies | A spew of butterflies | A spectacle of Satyrs |
| A deluge of butterflies | A spill of butterflies | A sprite of Elfins |
| A display of butterflies | A splash of butterflies | A storm of Cloudywings |
| A drift of butterflies | A splendor of butterflies | A succession of Monarchs |
| A drizzle of butterflies | A spray of butterflies | A swig of Swallowtails |
| A dust of butterflies | A spring of butterflies | A tail of Peacocks |
| An eminence of butterflies | A stealth of butterflies | A Tangle of Goatweeds |
| An escalade of butterflies | A stream of butterflies | A teaparty of Ladies |
| An escapade of butterflies | A surge of butterflies | A tint of Hairstreaks |
| An exhuberance of butterflies | A swarm of butterflies | A transparency of Clearwings |
| An explosion of butterflies | A swash of butterflies | An Union of Pipe Vines |
| An extravaganza of butterflies | A swirl of butterflies | A wardrobe of Mourning Cloaks |
| A fancy of butterflies | A swish of butterflies | A waxing of Crescents |
| A fanfare of butterflies | A symphony of butterflies | A whirl of Cabbage Whites |
| A fayre of butterflies | A tangle of butterflies | A wig of Ringlets |
| A fellowship of butterflies | A tango of butterflies | A wine of Satyrs |
| A flare of butterflies | A throng of butterflies | A yodel of Alpines |
| A flash of butterflies | A tune of butterflies | |
| A flight of butterflies | A twittering of butterflies | |
| A flight of butterflies | A velvet of butterflies | |
| A float of butterflies | A volley of butterflies | |
| A flock of butterflies | A waltz of butterflies | |
| A flood of butterflies | A wave of butterflies | |
| A flotilla of butterflies | A whirl of butterflies | |
| A flounce of butterflies | A whisper of butterflies | |
| A flourish of butterflies | A wind of butterflies | |
| A flurry of butterflies | A wisp of butterflies | |
| A flutter of butterflies | A woodstock of butterflies | |
| A flutterby of butterflies | A zool of butterflies | |