When you think ‘butterfly’, what is the first image that pops up in your head? A ditzy little monarch fluttering in your garden? The tiny white ones that may be moths, but they are so small it’s difficult to tell? Well thinking that a butterfly is a small thing that you can go see at those great science centers is slightly stereotypical. The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing holds the title for the world’s biggest butterfly, displaying a wingspan of up to 11-12 inches. This insect has had an interesting journey from its discovery funded by bankers in the 1900s to being endangered now. Read on to get the full story of this queen. Discovering The Blue Planet’s Biggest Butterfly Ornithoptera alexandrae, or as it is more commonly known, the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, was discovered in 1906 by naturalist Albert Stewart Meek. Walter Rothschild, who was a British politician and banker, also had a passion for recreational zoology. To pursue this, he employed Meek to collect butterflies for him
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