You might think that butterflies look so small and delicate that they can hardly eat anything. But, like all animals, butterflies need food. Their favorite food is sweet nectar from plants and flowers. How and when do butterflies feed? Read on to find out all about it.
Interesting facts about how butterflies eat
- Butterflies love sweet foods.
- Some butterflies eat other insects.
- Moths and butterflies eat the same thing.
- To eat, butterflies use a long feeding tube called a proboscis.
- Butterflies love salty liquids, which is why they sometimes land on humans. They want to drink our sweat!
Butterflies
Butterflies are insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera. This order includes moths. The name Lepidoptera comes from the Greek words for wing and scale. Members of this order are the only insects that have scales on their wings.
This unusual feature sets them apart and gives them a unique appearance that makes them beautiful to our eyes.
Butterflies range in size from half an inch to over four inches in wingspan. They come in all colors and color combinations of the rainbow.
How to tell moths from butterflies?
Moths and butterflies belong to the same family and share a common family resemblance. However, there are a few key differences.
- Body Shape: Butterflies have a long, slender rib cage, while butterflies have thicker bodies.
- Fuzzy: Moths often have a soft, fluffy appearance that butterflies do not have.
- Antennae: Butterflies have feathered antennae, while butterflies have thin and sleek antennae.
- Activity: Most butterflies are diurnal and moths are usually active at night.
- Colors: Typically, butterflies are gem-colored, while moths are gray, brown, and other earthy colors.
Do moths and butterflies eat the same thing?
Yes, but there are a few differences. For example, a butterfly harvester (feniseca tarquin) can eat aphids. It is the only butterfly that can eat other insects. Zebra butterfly (Heliconium charitonium) can collect and eat pollen. There are no butterflies to eat other insects or pollen.
They also have different ways of eating. The butterfly sits or rests on a food source, but the moth usually hovers over its food.
How do butterflies eat
Have you ever watched butterflies flutter around the garden? Moving from flower to flower, they feed.
Butterflies have no mouth or teeth. Each butterfly has a long elongation called a proboscis. This long extension looks like a thin straw that extends from the butterfly’s head. When the butterfly does not use it, the proboscis curls up into a ball.
When it is time to eat, the butterfly approaches the food source and opens its proboscis. The butterfly then inserts a feeding straw into a flower or other nectar source. Thanks to the long feeding straw, the butterfly can easily reach the nectar from the inside of the flower.
Where do butterflies find food?
Like most wild animals, butterflies are constantly looking for food. They find it in many places, but these are the most common.
- Flowers: Most butterflies get their nectar from flowers. They like the nectars of both wild and domestic flowers.
- Rotting fruits: Fruits that have fallen from the tree will become runny as they rot. Butterflies love to drink this sweet fruit juice.
- Mud puddles: The muddy water is rich in minerals that are important for the nutrition of butterflies. A group of butterflies gathered around a mud puddle is called a “puddle”.
- Ditches: Butterflies need a lot of liquid and will drink water from drainage ditches or gutters.
- Animal manure: When other animals eat fruit, they leave it in their manure. Many species of butterflies enjoy drinking the liquid that surrounds their manure.
- Trees: Butterflies drink tree sap if they cannot find another liquid.
What do butterflies eat?
Butterflies mainly eat nectar and water. Each species of butterfly prefers a specific plant, but they will feed wherever food is. Unlike caterpillars, they are not species specific.
Some plants are popular with all types of butterflies. For example, if you want to attract butterflies to your garden, you will draw many different species using the following plants:
- Zinnia
- Butterfly bush
- Mexican sunflower
- Lantana
- Milkweed
Euphorbia is also a popular nesting site for monarch butterflies.
Other flowers that butterflies love to drink from include azaleas, pine cones, clovers, daisies, dandelions, honeysuckle, meadow flowers, snapdragons, and sunflowers.
In search of nectar
Like many wild animals, butterflies spend a lot of time looking for food. Butterflies are important pollinators and many people enjoy seeing them in their gardens. You can make your open spaces more attractive to butterflies by planting nectar flowers.
Next: Fear of Animals: The Big List
What do butterflies eat? FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What do caterpillars eat?
Caterpillars eat leaves and twigs. Most caterpillars are species specific, which means they only eat the leaves of certain trees. However, when they turn into butterflies, they are less demanding on food sources.
The only caterpillar that eats other insects is the harvester butterfly caterpillar. Like an adult butterfly, it feeds on aphids. Harvesters are the only species of butterflies or caterpillars that eat other insects.
How to attract butterflies and moths?
If you want to attract moths and butterflies to your garden, start by planting flowers. There are many travel guides that will tell you which butterflies live in your area and which flowers can attract them.
Here are some examples of specific species, as well as the food or flower nectar they prefer.
- American copper: Chamomile, Dandelion, Clover and Euphorbia.
- Cloudy sulfur: Clover, Dandelion, Euphorbia and Chamomile.
- Eastern Tiger Swallowtail: Bee balm, honeysuckle and butterfly bush.
- Malachite: Rotting fruit, manure and dirt.
- Grouse variegated: Meadow flowers and hibiscus.
You can also keep small pieces of fruit. Choose fruits that are high in liquid content, such as watermelons, strawberries, oranges, and peaches.
What is the basic butterfly diet?
The butterfly’s diet is mostly liquid and sugar. Their main food source is nectar. The only exceptions are harvester butterflies and zebra butterflies.
Are butterflies herbivorous or carnivorous?
They are herbivores. With one exception, they do not eat other animals.
Do butterflies have teeth?
Butterflies have no teeth or tongues.