Butterflies in Your Garden: Best Plants to Attract Them

10 Enchanting Facts About the Butterfly You Didn’t Know

1. Taste with their feet: Butterflies have chemoreceptors on their tarsi (feet) that let them taste nectar and host plants when they land.
2. Wings are transparent under scales: Butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales; remove them and the wing membrane becomes semi-transparent.
3. Some migrate thousands of miles: Monarchs in North America travel up to 3,000 miles between breeding grounds and overwintering sites.
4. They see ultraviolet patterns: Many flowers and butterfly wing patterns reflect ultraviolet light, visible to butterflies but not to humans.
5. Cold-blooded flight mechanics: Butterflies warm their flight muscles by basking and shivering; below certain temperatures they cannot fly.
6. Mimicry and masquerade: Some species mimic toxic butterflies or resemble leaves, bird droppings, or dead leaves to avoid predators.
7. Puddling behavior: Male butterflies often gather on mud or damp ground to extract salts and minerals important for reproduction.
8. Rapid color change in some species: Structural colors from microscopic wing structures can shift with viewing angle; some species also alter appearance as they age.
9. Long lives for some tropical species: While many live weeks, certain tropical butterflies and related moths can live several months, especially in diapause.
10. Unique chemical defenses: Some butterflies sequester toxic compounds from host plants (like milkweed toxins) which make them unpalatable to predators.