What kind of food do butterflies eat?

Butterfly is a general term for insects of Lepidoptera. There are about 14000 species in the world, most of which are distributed in America, especially in the Amazon River Basin. There are 1200 species in China, with many stripes and rich colors. There are all kinds of flower spots on the wings and body. Let's take a look at what butterflies eat.

What kind of food do larvae eat?

The feeding objects of butterfly larvae vary according to insect species. most of the larvae are addicted to leaves, some species are addicted to flower buds, such as pollen butterflies, orange pink butterflies, and some species eat young pods or young fruits, such as pod gray butterflies eat tender pods, gardenia gray butterflies eat young gardenia fruits, in addition, a few species of larvae in the family Cinereidae are carnivorous, such as scale gray butterflies eat coffee scale, bamboo aphids eat bamboo aphids. This carnivorous species is a rare beneficial insect in butterflies.

What kind of food do butterflies eat?

Most butterflies feed on nectar. As far as butterflies that suck nectar are concerned, they not only suck nectar, but also like to suck the nectar of certain plants, such as blue Phoenix butterflies sucking nectar of Liliaceae plants, cabbage pink butterflies sucking nectar of cruciferous plants, leopard butterflies sucking nectar of Compositae plants, etc., some butterflies that do not suck nectar, bamboo-eyed butterflies suck fig juice, lilac butterflies suck on diseased oak and poplar sour. There are also some butterflies that suck the meat of grapes, which are often seen in grape fields.

The growth process of butterflies

1. Eggs: butterfly eggs are generally round or oval, with a waxy shell on the surface to prevent water evaporation, and a small hole at one end, which is the pathway for sperm to enter. The size of eggs varies greatly among different species of butterflies. Butterflies usually lay their eggs on the leaves of plants that the larvae like to eat, preparing food for the larvae.

2. Larvae: after hatching, the larvae mainly eat and eat a large number of plant leaves. The larvae are of various shapes, mostly fleshy worms and a few caterpillars. Butterflies harm agriculture mainly in the larval stage, with the growth of larvae, usually after several molting.

3. Pupa: the larva will become pupa when it matures. The larva will fix itself with a few strands of silk in the hidden place on the back of the plant leaf, and then pupate directly without cocoon.

4. Adults: after the pupa matures, it breaks its shell and comes out of the pupa, but it takes a certain amount of time to dry and harden its wings. At this time, the butterfly can not avoid its natural enemies, which is a dangerous period. After the wings are spread, the butterfly can fly, and the butterfly's front and rear wings do not flap synchronously, so the butterfly flies with great fluctuation and graceful posture. The so-called "dancing" comes from the butterfly's flight. Butterfly adults usually die before winter comes after mating and laying eggs, but some species migrate to the south to spend the winter.