How to Know What Butterflies Eat

In order to maintain energy reserves and water balance, adult butterflies consume liquids. This nutrition supplies what they need for the capability of surviving, mating and laying eggs. A butterfly uses various means to gather nutrient fluids. For instance, in order to collect sodium and amino acids, the adult male butterfly uses mud puddling. They are also fond of sipping fluids they find along the edges of streams, in wet sand and at the boundaries of dirt trails. Wet areas and shallow waters also provide them with dissolved minerals to digest. Occasionally, adult butterflies that overfeed may squirt a liquid spray from their belly to relieve the pressure.

Mud puddling - Mud puddling seems restricted to male butterflies. While mud puddling they will gather for a community supper. The adult male butterfly has a longer anterior hindgut or small intestines than does a non-puddling adult female butterfly. During puddling, fluid propels through their digestive tract and exits from their anus. It is probable that fluids of 600 times their body mass may pass through them.

Butterflies love to eat. The antenna, a long shaft that resembles a golf club of the butterfly is sensitive to taste and touch. The mouthparts of the adult include the butterfly tongue or proboscis especially for sucking the fluid nutrients such as nectar, the rich sugary liquid that flowers and plants produce.

The majority of adult butterflies sip flower nectar, however some may feed on fluids from rotting fruits, tree sap as well as animal and bird droppings. Sugars are useful carbohydrates that are available to butterflies in decaying fruits. The brush-footed butterfly or Saturn butterfly of the rain forest in Borneo love feasting on rotting fruits. Bird droppings are the favorite of the Admiral butterfly. The Harvester butterfly with its short thin tongue or proboscis in fact pierces the body of woolly aphid or bug to drink its fluids.

Adult long wing butterflies such as the Zebra butterfly use their proboscis to consume proteins and amino acids from the pollen of flowers. A Blue Lesser Purple Emperor butterfly extracts their food from any heady substance like, decomposed meat or carrion flowers. These butterflies can recognize decaying meat from over hundred meters away.

Parsley, dill and carrots will attract the Black Swallowtail is fond of parsley, dill and carrots. Violets draw the Great Spangled Fritillary. Milkweed lures the stunning Monarch, while asters are the favorite of the Pearly Crescentspot. Pipevine entices the Pipevine Swallowtail. You may wish to plant several varieties of pipevines such as Virginia Snakeroot, Calico Pipe, Rooster Flower and Dutchman's Pipe.

Willow and wild cherry trees attract the Red-Spotted Purple butterfly. Spicebush and sassafras are most preferable to the Spicebush Swallowtail. If you wish to draw the attention of the amazing Viceroy, you can plant willow, popular, plum and cherry trees around your home.

Slices of banana will attract fruit flies, which in turn lures in butterflies, since they will consume the fruit flies for the minerals and proteins. You will be thoroughly amazed at all the butterflies you can attract by putting out overly ripe fruits and watermelon slices. You may also want to consider the various types of butterfly feeders that hold fruit or prepared nectar.

After a caterpillar completes the metamorphosis into an adult butterfly, they begin searching for sources of nectar. You may want your garden to feature nectar plants that bloom from the beginning of a season and into later summer and autumn. Native nectar plants include, whorled and swamp milkweed, wild columbine, rose verbena and lance leaf coreoposis, New England aster, orange and purple Missouri, buttonbush as well as butterfly weed. Joe Pye weed, sweet coneflowers, prairies blazing star, cardinal flower and blue lobelia.