There's a hypothesis in chaos theory that tiny air currents rippling out from a single butterfly's wings can swell into a storm half a world away. If one wing beat could alter the atmosphere, what about clouds of the colourful insects?

Wild theories aside, butterflies can change the climate by helping to save the world's remaining tropical forests. These vast tracts of trees are often called the “lungs of the planet.” Their foliage draws in the carbon dioxide that causes global warming and converts it to oxygen.