Which word to use for "butterfly"?


I am aware of these words that mean "butterfly":

  * [蝶]{ちょう} 
  * 蝶々 (Is the alternate form of チョウチョ more common than 蝶々? Because 蝶々 would be チョウチョウ instead and it seems ウ is removed because of shortening)
  * [胡]{こ}蝶
  * バタフライ (I think this is mainly used in the context of swimming; バタフライで泳ぐ, and in the context of chaos theory; バタフライ効果. Can it be used for the insect?)

Which is most commonly used to generally refer to the insect? And when are the
less common (if any) forms used? What are their nuances if any?




From my experience, `蝶々` is the most used and recognized. Although I've never
heard the pronunciation shortened to `チョウチョ`.

I personally like to use `胡蝶` (note: can also be written as `蝴蝶`) because 1)
it sounds cooler, and 2) [`蝴蝶隠れ`](http://youtu.be/zHVwYSn2P9E). But whenever
I've used `蝴蝶` in conversation with my Japanese friends, none of them knew
what I what talking about until I changed it to `蝶々`.




From my experience, `蝶々` is the most used and recognized. Although I've never
heard the pronunciation shortened to `チョウチョ`.

I personally like to use `胡蝶` (note: can also be written as `蝴蝶`) because 1)
it sounds cooler, and 2) [`蝴蝶隠れ`](http://youtu.be/zHVwYSn2P9E). But whenever
I've used `蝴蝶` in conversation with my Japanese friends, none of them knew
what I what talking about until I changed it to `蝶々`.

