WHAT DO BUTTERFLIES EAT?
Butterflies suck up nectar from the base of flowers using their long tube-like proboscis, usually coiled underneath the head. The flowers advertise the presence of nectar by their attractive shapes and colors. As a reward for the sweet nectar, the butterflies pollinate the flowers, fruit trees and shrubs by moving pollen—on their hairy bodies—from one bulb to another.
In tropical forests where there few flowers, butterflies gorge themselves on rotten fruit, which provides energy-giving sugar. Butterflies also like sugary moisture from patches of wet ground. To locate food sources, butterflies employ an unusual trick. According to the Chicago Tribune, research on the monarch butterfly has shown that butterfly feet are 2,000 times more sensitive to sweet things than the human tongue.
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