“Tie-dye” Butterflies

This craft celebrates the diversity of species of butterflies found across the state of Connecticut. Follow along to learn how to make butterflies that resemble 2 prominent ones or feel free to make your own, unique species!

You will need:

  • Washable markers
  • Coffee filters
  • Cup of water
  • Paper towels
  • Straw
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Clothes pin
Three completed tie-dye butterflies photographed in front of a bush

Step 1:

Flatten your coffee filter

I placed mine under a large book, but don’t worry if it’s not perfectly flat!

Step 2:

Color your coffee filter with the washable markers. Below are instructions to color your filter so it looks like a tie dye version of some butterflies in Connecticut, but feel free to make up your own butterfly!

butterfly project

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

A side view of a monarch butterfly perched on a purple flower

Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org

A coffee filter with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside.

Draw a black circle around the edge of your filter

A coffee filter with a 6 triangles arranged in a symmetrical pattern with sketchy black circle drawn around the outside

Add a pattern of rounded triangles to the top half of your filter to resemble the forewings of the monarch

A coffee filter with an orange pattern of triangles and squares with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside

In the bottom half, draw a symmetrical pattern of more angular triangles and squares to represent the forewing

A coffee filter colored with marker showing a symmetrical orange and brown pattern surrounded a sketchy black circle around the outside.

Outline your shapes with a brown marker and fill in any large spaces with more orange

A coffee filter colored with marker showing a symmetrical orange and brown pattern surrounded a sketchy black circle around the outside and a black plus shape dividing it into quarters.

Draw a plus shape in the center of your pattern dividing it into four quarters

Red Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)

A male, red spotted purple butterfly sits on some leaves with its wings open

Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University, Bugwood.org

A coffee filter with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside that is thicker on the bottom than the top.

Draw a black circle around the edge of your coffee filter, making it thicker on one side than the other

A coffee filter with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside that is thicker on the bottom than the top and a blue ombre pattern on the bottom half.

Fill in the half of the filter with the thicker part of your circle with blue, making sure to make it darker and more filled in near the circle and leaving more white space as you go up

A coffee filter with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside that is thicker on the bottom than the top and a blue and purple ombre pattern on the bottom half.

Add purple to the edges of your blue half

A coffee filter with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside that is thicker on the bottom than the top and a blue ombre pattern on the bottom half and blue sketchy marker on top.

Scribble some blue in the blank half of the filter, leaving lots of white space

A coffee filter with a sketchy black circle drawn around the outside that is thicker on the bottom than the top and a blue ombre pattern on the bottom half and blue sketchy marker on top.

Using a different blue marker, color over the top half of blue

Step 3:

Lay the filter on a paper towel and drop water on it slowly by placing the straw into a shallow dish of water, placing your finger over the top while it is submerged, and then letting go over the butterfly!

Watch the marker bleeds and maybe try to strategically place your drops as you go!

Up-close of a coffee filter with an orange, brown, and black pattern colored on it with a red straw over it dropping water.

Step 4:

Make sure to let your filter fully dry!

You can color your clothes pin in while you wait for your filter to dry

butterfly project

Step 5:

Pinch the filter in the middle to create two wings

A tie-dyed coffee filter pinched in the middle to make two butterfly wings.

Step 6:

Clip the clothespin on the part where you pinched it

A clothespin with a smiley face drawn on it clipped in the middle of a coffee filter with a rainbow tie-dye pattern.

Step 7:

Curl the pipe cleaner into the shape of an antenna and clip it in the top of the antenna

A purple pipe cleaner folded in half and curled to resemble antenna.

There you have it! Feel free to play with your butterflies or hang them in windows and see how their wings glow when the sunlight hits them.

A tie-dye butterfly made from a rainbow coffee filter, a clothes pin, and a purple pipe cleaner folded in half and curled to resemble antenna.