INVENTORIUM

Start with a square 6" x 6" (15cm x 15cm) piece of paper. 

If it is colored paper, put the colored side face down on the table as shown below. 

Then fold along the diagonal to give a triangle.

Origami Butterfly

            

Next fold the triangle in half to make a smaller triangle. 

Then fold one corner upwards to make the first butterfly wing. 

        

Then fold the second wing upwards. 

Now open the butterfly out as shown, and it's done!

        

But wait, there's more! 

By gently pressing up and down on the body of the butterfly, as shown below, the wings will flap up and down. Go here for the video!

You can also decorate your butterfly to look like a real one or a picture that you've seen. 

        

An origami reader from Waco writes in to share "You can also cut the top crease of the wing and from about a centimeter away from the center crease cut half way don then fold over to make bottom wings".

From Klarissa of Watertown:

From reader in CDA:

From Fiqree in Kemaman:

From Elizabeth in Meadville:

From Medha in Bangalore "Origami Butterfly."

From Valadis in Athens:

From reader in Boston " This is Tristan's first origami butterfly! Fun to make :) "