Butterfly Vision
As you can see, what butterflies and most insects see is something that is less sharp than humans can see. This is why we say that by human standards, they are legally blind. Butterflies can also see some colors humans cannot.
The world looks different to a butterfly. What they see is different than what humans see. (illustration by Michael Hagelberg)
Visit our page on the colors animals see to learn more about color vision in animals.
Additional images provided by Challiyil Eswaramangalath Vipin from Wikimedia Commons.
View Citation
Bibliographic details:
- Article: What Butterflies See
- Author(s): Kasey Yturralde
- Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
- Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
- Date published: January 8, 2010
- Date accessed: January 18, 2025
- Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/butterfly-vision
APA Style
Kasey Yturralde. (2010, January 08). What Butterflies See. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved January 18, 2025 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/butterfly-vision
Chicago Manual of Style
Kasey Yturralde. "What Butterflies See". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 08 January, 2010. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/butterfly-vision
Kasey Yturralde. "What Butterflies See". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 08 Jan 2010. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 18 Jan 2025. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/butterfly-vision
MLA 2017 Style
Could butterfly vision and their amazing patterns and colors be related?
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