How long does a butterfly live? An adult butterfly probably has an average life-span of approximately one month. In the wild,most butterflies lives are shorter than this because of the dangers provided by predators, disease, and large objects, such as automobiles. The smallest butterflies may live only a week or so, while a few butterflies, such as Monarchs, Mourning Cloaks and tropical heliconians, can live up to nine months. Do butterflies migrate? Yes. Many butterflies that spend the summer in temperate areas cannot survive winters. Each year, as the weather becomes warmer, butterflies fly north to repopulate cold regions. Some of the butterfly Species that migrate each year include Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow, Gulf Fritillary, Painted Lady, American people Lady, Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Long-tailed Skipper, Clouded Skipper, Fiery Skipper, Sachem, and Ocola Skipper. For most species these northward dispersals are gradual, but, in especially good years, one can see Painted L...