It is based on a sample of "Pretty Little Ditty" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1989 album Mother's Milk, so band members Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante are credited as writers.

[4] As part of a compendium of nu metal music, Alan di Perna of Guitar World magazine described the song as a "hip-hop flavored ballad".

[6] Michael Steele, a music director of the pop radio station KIIS-FM, noted the song's crossover appeal in an interview in the Los Angeles Times, declaring that "Butterfly" was "the one that completely crossed over from the rap-rock genre.

"[7] Spin labelled "Butterfly" as a "nu metal power ballad" and possibly the biggest love song of the entire genre.

[12] The song's music video, directed by Honey, shows the band in a fantastical forest full of butterflies.

Shifty Shellshock and Epic Mazur sing praises to two women with butterfly wings (Cynthia Mittweg & Melissa Binzer).