Does Ash ever re-encounter his Butterfree after the Butterfree's Goodbye episode? I have not watched the Pokémon anime since Battle Frontier, but I saw a snippet of a much newer episode in a region that is most definitely not Johto, that featured Claire, the Dragon gym leader from the Johto region.

This led me to realize that it's not impossible that the anime producers would bring back characters from the very distant past.

So I was thinking, does Ash ever re-encounter his Butterfree in an episode after Butterfree's Goodbye?
A simple answer is no. We don't see Butterfree and Ash ever meeting again after their farewell in Bye-Bye Butterfree:


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                    A scene just before butterfree's departure 



As mentioned on the Bulbapedia (and partially in the comments):



  Ash's Butterfree has since appeared in the tenth opening for the anime, Spurt!, along with his mate, the pink Butterfree. 


  However, he has not returned in any episodes since his last appearance. Ash has, however, flashed back to having him several times, such as in The Thief That Keeps on Thieving!, A Trainer and Child Reunion!, and Butterfree and Me!.