When you take a book and find one of these printable butterfly bookmarks poking out, it almost looks like a real butterfly decided to rest on that particular page.
There’s something oddly satisfying about folding a flat piece of paper into something with real dimension. These printable butterfly bookmarks start as flat designs but transform into 3D butterflies that perch between the pages of your favourite books.
I drew five different species: monarch, old world swallowtail, malachite, blue morpho, and purple emperor. Each one is based on the real butterfly’s wing patterns and colours. This way, this craft can be used as a part of a biology lesson or in a nature school!
Did you know, for instance, that blue morphos don’t actually have blue pigment in their wings—that brilliant colour comes from their scales that reflect light in a particular way? And purple emperors are notoriously difficult to spot in the wild because they spend most of their time up in oak tree canopies. They only come down for particularly appealing rotting fruit.
In addition, I also made black-and-white versions of these butterflies to colour. You can stay true to nature or create butterflies that exist only in your imagination!
How to Make the Printable Butterfly Bookmarks
The whole process takes about three minutes per bookmark.
First, download and print the designs. Card stock would be better, but plain paper works, too.
Next, cut the designs out.
Then, fold the bookmark in half, with the printed parts facing inward, and shape the wings. There’s a moment when you make the final fold and suddenly have this tiny creature in your hands! Really satisfying.
Finally, glue the inside part of the bookmark together.
If you want, you can also use the label and glue it onto the bookmark.
How to Use Printable Butterfly Bookmarks
They work well tucked into novels or textbooks. The paper holds its shape nicely, and they’re sturdy enough to move from book to book without losing their form. It’s perfect for anyone who likes their reading accessories to have a bit of personality.
You can also use them in biology lessons. Nature schools might turn them into identification activities, where children match the paper butterflies to real species in field guides. They’re quick enough for summer camp craft sessions but fun enough that kids would want to take them home. And they could work well as party crafts that double as take-home favours as well.
You can buy the full set here!
It includes 5 full-colour butterflies and 5 colour-your-own butterflies with instructions. Or you can download a sample that includes one free printable monarch butterfly bookmark here!
By the way, if you are curious what books I’ve used in the pictures, here are their titles: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater (a lovely regency fantasy novel), The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley (one of my favourite middle-grade books ever), Persuasion by Jane Austen (this edition with handwritten letters is gorgeous), The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (hardly needs introduction), and The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (a great family read-aloud). All of our favourites!
Enjoy using the bookmarks? Share your books with me, too—on Instagram or Facebook!
Other Butterfly Activities
Learn how to make 3D paper insects and study insect anatomy with this printable insect kit! It isn’t pictured here, but it includes a swallowtail butterfly.
Want to make a cheerful butterfly suncatcher with kids? It’s surprisingly easy with nothing but black glue, sharpie markers and some recyclables.
