Butterfly Behavior: Eating and Puddling
Nectar is the staple of a butterfly's diet. In the plant world, nectar is a reward for animals that act as pollinators, including butterflies and bees. Flowering plants
Butterfly Behavior: Eating and Puddling
Nectar is the staple of a butterfly's diet. In the plant world, nectar is a reward for animals that act as pollinators, including butterflies and bees. Flowering plants produce nectar that the insects want to eat, and in exchange the insects spread the flowers' pollen, allowing them to reproduce. While some insects, like bees, have lots of adaptations that allow them to carry lots of flowers, many butterflies don't. In fact, some butterflies don't spread pollen at all -- they take the nectar without helping the plant in exchange. In this sense, butterflies can be parasites.
It's easy to imagine butterflies as delicate insects flitting from flower to flower in search of nectar. Their long proboscis allows them to reach deep into flowers and retrieve the nectar found there. At first glance, the proboscis doesn't seem suited to consuming any other type of food. While it's true that sugary nectar is a primary source of energy for butterflies, they have lots of other dietary needs. Butterflies need nutrients and minerals to fly and reproduce, and many of these don't exist in the sweet liquids produced by flowers.
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Some butterflies also eat fruit. Some of these butterflies pierce the fruit's skin and drain the juices from inside.