Fruit and Veggie Butterflies

Darcie Jensen

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Bring the beauty of nature inside with butterflies you can eat!

Fruit and Veggie Butterflies


two lettuce leaves per butterfly

thin vegetables, such as carrot sticks, celery sticks, or pepper slices

round fruits and vegetables, such as cucumber or tomato slices or grapes cut in half

other toppings, such as raisins, dried cranberries, or nuts

ranch, Italian, poppy seed, or other salad dressings

  1. 1.

    Wash your hands with soap and water.

  2. 2.

    Break two lettuce leaves in half. Place them together on a plate so they look like the wings of a butterfly.

  3. 3.

    Put a celery stick, carrot stick, or a slice of pepper in the center of the lettuce to form the butterfly’s body. Add smaller slices for antennae.

  4. 4.

    Decorate the wings with different fruits, vegetables, and toppings. What creative patterns can you make?

  5. 5.

    Lightly drizzle salad dressing over the wings of the butterfly, or use dressing to stick the fruit and vegetables to the lettuce wings.

What other fruits and vegetables do you like? Try making butterflies with other ingredients not listed here for even more colorful options.

Fun Fact

Did you know that monarch butterflies have orange, black, and white wings? These fluttering insects fly all the way from Canada and the United States to Mexico every year to find warmer weather during the winter. After sleeping for several weeks, they usually start waking up in February to prepare for their return flight northward.