Easy Butterfly Origami

My new book, Easy Butterfly Origami features 30 bold full-color patterns designed to accurately portray the dorsal and ventral sides of some of the most beautiful butterflies from around the world!

Origami Folding Tips

Origami, from the Japanese ori (to fold) and kami (paper), began in the 6th century when Buddhist monks introduced paper to Japan. The print-and-fold crafts and easy diagrams are designed to help children with fine motor skills, directions and hand eye coordination. Some basic origami folding tips:
  • Print and cut out patterns carefully.
  • Fold with clean, dry hands.
  • Follow the instructions. Study the diagrams and be patient.
  • Be precise: fold each crease well, flattening the creases by running your fingertip over the fold.
  • Folding the paper away from you is easier than folding towards you.
  • Be creative...use your origami on greeting cards, holiday decorations, table place cards and bookmarks.
Showing posts with label butterfly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butterfly. Show all posts

Print and Fold Butterfly Origami

Video instructions for folding your Butterfly Origami:




Print and fold Butterfly Origami Pattern:


You can find this origami and more activities in my book, Rainforests and Reefs.


From the mountains to the sea, make learning fun at home or on the go. A variety of activities and puzzles teach children about tropical wildlife and conservation. Featuring mazes, mandalas, spot the difference, word seek, and more. With 14 bonus paper projects including masks, paper bag puppets, and origami. Links to instructional videos guide children through the paper projects.

Monarch Butterfly


With its distinctive orange and black markings, the monarch butterfly is the most famous of North American butterflies, best known for its long migrations.

No single butterfly survives the journey. Instead, it takes four generations of butterflies to travel south to southern California and Mexico to winter in warmer climates. There, they roost by the thousands, sometimes covering trees. In the spring, they begin the long migration back up to the United States and Canada.

The monarch butterfly is the official state butterfly of Alabama, Minnesota, Vermont and West Virginia.





Print and Fold a Monarch Butterfly Origami:

Monarch Butterfly Origami









Difficulty: Easy

Directions: Follow the same directions as below.

1a. Print and cut out image along outer solid lines.



2a. With printed side facing down,
2b. Fold in half along diagonal line.
2c. Unfold and repeat the diagonal fold on other side.





3a. With printed side facing up,
3b. Fold in half along horizontal line.
3c. Unfold. Your paper should be creased as illustrated.





4. Carefully fold along creases, forming a "tent" as illustrated.




5a. Fold the right "tent" corner up along line A, as illustrated.
5b. Fold the left "tent" corner up along line B, as illustrated.



6a. Turn butterfly over, printed side down.
6b. Fold down along line C.
6c. Pinch or crease in center as illustrated.






Your monarch butterfly is ready to fly!








©2010 Tammy Yee
All rights reserved.

Squeaking Caterpillars!

At first glance, this caterpillar looks too cute to be true, like a rubber squeaky toy...


Photo by Kirby Wolfe.


To find out if it was real, I translated the video's description, which led me to Usutabiga (ウスタビガ), the Japanese name for the Saturniid moth, Rhodinia fugax. Found throughout Japan, China and North Korea, this silk moth has the amazing capacity as larvae to produce squeaking noises when disturbed. They can even squeak from inside their cocoons...





According to LiveScience.com,
"Caterpillars apparently can whistle, letting out squeaks that can fend off attacking birds, scientists have now found.

They don't whistle by puckering their lips and blowing, since they don't have lips. Instead, they blow out their sides, researchers said.

Scientists have known for more than 100 years that many caterpillars can generate clicking or squeaking noises. However, researchers have only recently begun to experimentally investigate how these noises are made and what roles they might play."
Other members of the Saturniid moth family are also known for larvae that produce clicking sounds with their mandibles (jaws) as a warning before secreting stinky chemicals, and some are covered with stinging hairs. (Warning: you should never handle a caterpillar that is covered in spines or hair, because they often contain venom that can cause a painful skin reaction.)

The eggs of the squeaky silkmoth overwinter and hatch in the spring. Caterpillars feed on oak, walnut, hawthorn, sycamore, birch and rose before spinning a pitcher-plant shaped cocoon. Adults have a 3.5-inch wingspan.

©Tammy Yee

Kamehameha Butterfly Origami (Pulelehua)

Pulelehua (Kamehameha Butterfly)

PulelehuaScientific name: Vanessa tameamea

The pulelehua, or Kamehameha butterfly, is one of only two butterflies native to Hawai'i. With its bright red wings, bold black borders, and 2 1/2 inch wingspan, pulelehua are often seen fluttering near koa trees, where adults feed on the sweet sap oozing from broken branches.

Pulelehua lay their eggs on the mamaki plant, a native shrub that was sometimes used by Hawaiians to make a coarse tapa (the leaves are also used to make an herbal tea). Young caterpillars protect themselves by cutting a flap of leaf, pulling it over themselves, and securing it with silk to make a shelter. As they grow older, the caterpillars sit motionless on the branches, waiting for nightfall. Once the sun has set and the forest birds have gone to sleep, it is safe for the caterpillars to venture onto the leaves to eat. Even their chrysalis is well-camouflaged, looking like a withered leaf. In a little over two weeks, the chrysalis splits open, and out pops a beautiful pulelehua!


Print and Fold Hawaii's State Butterfly, the Pulelehua




Difficulty: Easy


Directions:



1. Print and cut out origami butterfly.






2a. With printed side facing down,
2b. Fold in half along diagonal line.
2c. Unfold and repeat the diagonal fold on other side.






3a. With printed side facing up,
3b. Fold in half along horizontal line.
3c. Unfold. Your origami should be creased as illustrated.






4. Carefully fold along creases, forming a "tent" as illustrated.






5a. Fold the right "tent" corner up along line A, as illustrated.
5b. Fold the left "tent" corner up along line B, as illustrated.






6a. Turn butterfly origami over, printed side down.
6b. Fold down along line C.
6c. Pinch or crease in center as illustrated.






Your butterfly origami is ready to fly!

Pulelehua (Kamehameha Butterfly) Origami



©2009 Tammy Yee
All rights reserved.

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly Origami

This black swallowtail butterfly can be found in the eastern United States, and occasionally as far north as southern Ontario and south to Cuba. Caterpillars feed on spicebush or sassafras, while adults feed on nectar from azaleas, milkweed and thistle flowers.

The spicebush swallowtail is the official state butterfly of Mississippi.




Difficulty: Easy

Directions:


For the next few steps, follow instructions to Monarch Butterfly Origami:
2a. Print and cut out your two-tailed swallowtail origami. With printed side facing down,
2b. Fold in half diagonally along B.
2c. Unfold and repeat the diagonal fold along C.






3a. With printed side facing up,
3b. Fold in half horizontally along A.
3c. Unfold. Your origami should be creased as illustrated.






4. Carefully fold along creases, forming a "tent" as illustrated.






5a. Fold the right "tent" corner up along D, as illustrated.
5b. Fold the left "tent" corner up along E, as illustrated.






6. Your Origami Swallowtail Butterfly should look like this:





7. Turn butterfly origami over, printed side down.






8a. Fold up along F. Note that corners will pull in to either side.
8b. Crease corners flat, as indicated by arrows.





9. Turn your origami butterfly over.






10a. Fold butterfly in half vertically, so wings are together.
10b. Crease one wing down, diagonally, to form body.
10b. Fold down the other wing, diagonally, as shown.





11. Open wings up. Your butterfly is done!




©2010 Tammy Yee
All rights reserved.

Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly Origami

Arizona's official state butterfly, the two-tailed swallowtail, can be found throughout Arizona and in parts of California, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Nevada.

Found in canyons feeding on chokecherry, rosewood and sycamore, it can easily be mistaken for the tiger swallowtail--however, unlike the tiger, the two-tailed swallowtail has thinner black stripes on its wings, and has two tails on its hind wings.






Difficulty: Easy

Directions:


For the next few steps, follow instructions to Monarch Butterfly Origami:
2a. Print and cut out your two-tailed swallowtail origami. With printed side facing down,
2b. Fold in half diagonally along B.
2c. Unfold and repeat the diagonal fold along C.






3a. With printed side facing up,
3b. Fold in half horizontally along A.
3c. Unfold. Your origami should be creased as illustrated.






4. Carefully fold along creases, forming a "tent" as illustrated.






5a. Fold the right "tent" corner up along D, as illustrated.
5b. Fold the left "tent" corner up along E, as illustrated.






6. Your Origami Swallowtail Butterfly should look like this:





7. Turn butterfly origami over, printed side down.






8a. Fold up along F. Note that corners will pull in to either side.
8b. Crease corners flat, as indicated by arrows.





9. Turn your origami butterfly over.






10a. Fold butterfly in half vertically, so wings are together.
10b. Crease one wing down, diagonally, to form body.
10b. Fold down the other wing, diagonally, as shown.





11. Open wings up. Your butterfly is done!




©2010 Tammy Yee
All rights reserved.



Copyright ©2009 Tammy Yee
All rights reserved. No portion of this web site may be reproduced without prior written consent.