A WikiButterfly is a Wikipedia editor who starts off on this site by creating an account, and then proceeds to make only one or two edits. Sometimes, even a handful of them. This activity might continue for a day, a month, or possibly even for a year or so. In other cases the editing might stop, only to start up again. The sporadic early editing pattern of this type of user (which was first identified and described by Valereee) can be compared favorably to the excruciatingly slow pace of a caterpillar. Similar to the multi-prolegged insect, the editor inches around mainspace, endeavoring to make small fixes to random articles as it comes across them. Eventually though, as the excitement wears off it becomes busy in real life, or simply loses interest in its newfound hobby, subsequently disappearing from recent changes altogether. The unobtrusive caterpillar now ensconces itself in an editing cocoon, where activity is so infrequent that it might not even make a single edit for many months, possibly even for years. At this phase of its life, the insect can be compared to the WikiLurker, except that the former may not necessarily be so invested in the project.

But after a while, something special happens. The WikiButterfly emerges from its cocoon, flaps its glorious wings, and begins to flutter around wildly from one article to the next, even starting to land on different talk pages and noticeboards, flaunting its wings for all of the other creatures in the ecosystem to see. Eventually, this little wonder becomes so proficient at its daily tasks that it starts to attract the notice of entomologists, who admire its beauty and seek to add it to their collection. When that happens, this page should be brought to the attention of the WikiPolice when they try to raise the subject of the WikiButterfly's early editing history. Because what seems at first glance to be disinterestedness may be just that—but it was in the past. It has now caught the bug, and will be with us fluttering around for a long time to come!

• Phases
• 
  A new account unobtrusively feeding on a typo
• 
  It likes the place and wants to hang out here
• 
  The user has temporarily vanished from recent changes
• 
  This bug has now caught the bug

If you find that the content of this page is a good description of your editing history on Wikipedia, then you've certainly earned the right to join this peculiar entomological fraternity. If you think it might be beneficial for you to put the other WikiFauna at ease regarding your early edit history, then by all means feel free to add {{User wikipedia/WikiButterfly}} to your user page, which produces the following userbox

This user is a WikiButterfly.

... and wear those wings proudly!

• Butterfly
• Wikipedia:Butterfly effect
• Wikipedia:WikiOgre – exhibits similar traits, but in cyclical fashion