What Do Butterflies Eat

What Do Butterflies Eat as Caterpillars?

For many butterflies the long caterpillar stage is the only time that they actually eat. After the caterpillar hatches from the egg it begins to feed. Caterpillars consume huge amounts of food. There are caterpillars that are very specialized, like the Pearl Crescent caterpillars. They will only eat a specific species of asters. Others, like Gray Hairstreaks, will eat many different kinds of leaves and plant materials.

The caterpillar will feed until it grows too big for its skin and then it will shed its skin. This process will be repeated until it is time for the caterpillar to make a cocoon.

Most butterfly caterpillars are not garden pests. They tend to eat only those plants that they are attracted to. The caterpillars that eat the tomato plants in your garden are most likely moths.

The Anatomy of a Butterfly

Butterflies have the organs that they need to eat with. They have a head, a thorax and an abdomen.

Moths, which are similar in anatomy to butterflies have long proboscis that can be up to 30 centimeters long! There are some that have tiny, sharp teeth at the end of the tube which allows them to pierce the skins of fruits to sip the juices found there.

Butterflies Do Drink

While most butterflies do not eat anything they do drink liquids of many types. Butterflies have a long tube in their mouths that is called a proboscis. This tube is shaped like a tightly curled straw. When the butterfly is ready to drink it uncurls the proboscis and sucks up liquid through it.

Some butterflies have long proboscis, however the Harvester butterfly has a very short proboscis. With its short, hollow tongue it can pierce the bodies of small pests called wooly aphids. The Harvester butterfly then drinks the fluids from the aphids' bodies. The caterpillar of the Harvester butterfly eats aphids as well and is a help in the garden rather than a pest. This species of butterfly is the only one that eats insects.

Puddling, Nectaring, and Other Behaviors

On a hot day shallow puddles will often have many types and colors of butterflies congregated on it. This behavior is called puddling. This is generally done by male butterflies.

The butterfly will extend its tongue to the surface of the puddle and suck up various minerals and salts that are important for the butterfly's health. Scientists think that the salts help in the production of pheromones. Pheromones help the male butterfly attract the female. These community puddles are great places to observe different types of butterflies.

If there is no water available a butterfly may regurgitate into the soil and drink it to get the minerals it needs.

When butterflies extend their proboscis into a flower it is called nectaring. They are able to draw out the nectar of the flower through their tongues. This is also helpful in the pollination of flowers.

Flowers are not the only thing that provides liquid nutrients for the butterfly. They will often feed on fruit, manure piles, sap, and other materials that have dissolved into water.

Even moist sand or dirt often has enough liquid nutrients that the butterfly can get the nutrients it needs. Sometimes even rotting animal flesh will provide the butterfly with food.

If you are out working or playing on a hot day often a butterfly will land on you and drink from your skin. It is drawn to your skin by the salt in your sweat. Sweat has salt, and other minerals that butterflies need.

How to Feed Butterflies

Now that the question of, "What do butterflies eat?" has been answered the next question is how to feed them. You can plant flowers in your garden that are known to attract butterflies. Bushes like Butterfly Bush are great attractants. Some other plants that attract butterflies are:

• Aster
• Borage
• Calendula
• Delphinium
• Sweet Alyssum

You can also suspend a small dish from a tree and fill it with cut fruit. Ripe oranges, grapefruit, peaches or strawberries all have a lot of the juice that butterflies love.

Another way to attract and feed butterflies is to use a nectar feeder:

1. Make a solution of one part sugar to four parts boiling water.
2. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and allow it to cool. Do not ever add any colorings. #Place on a dish with a bright sponge. Neon pink, red, or orange are all colors that seem to draw the butterflies the best.
3. Clean the dish and sponge and replace the nectar daily.

You may find that bees and hummingbirds find your butterfly feeder attractive as well.

Butterflies add a colorful beauty to any garden and are fun to watch. Knowing what butterflies eat can help you to draw even more of these fascinating creatures to your home.