10 Butterfly Facts You’ve Never Heard

When it comes to butterflies, we all think of fabulous landscapes. Lush green meadows, bright flowers and cheerful butterflies… When we leave these fabulous fantasies aside, we are faced with interesting scenes. Because butterflies drink tears, eat excrement and do not hesitate to use other types of insects in their plans. We have researched dazzling butterflies for you. You will be very surprised to know this information about butterflies that you have never heard before. Here are some interesting facts about butterflies, one of the cutest members of the insect kingdom…

Butterflies eat feces and drink tears

If you think that butterflies only drink nectar from flowers, you are wrong! Many consume a variety of disgusting things, from excrement to urine, from rotting animal flesh to reptile tears. 😪 This is how they meet their sodium needs.

Some butterflies are predators

Don’t worry, you can spend time in nature and not be bitten by butterflies. 😊 Some caterpillars have to kill to survive. In this way they get food and protect themselves from wild predators. For example, moth caterpillars prefer to feed on ant larvae. When one day he turns into a butterfly, there is no trace of his wild nature!

At the same time, many are very picky about food.

Many caterpillars need certain plants to grow. For example, the blue caterpillar feeds only on lupins. Similarly, the monarch butterfly caterpillar only feeds on a group of plants called euphorbias. So, equipping your garden with a variety of plants is no guarantee that you will have a lot of butterflies.

They use ants as babysitters

Butterflies, called Lycaenidae or feathered wings, rely on ants to take care of their babies. They use special chemicals to attract ants. The ants, who cannot resist this chemical, protect the baby caterpillars at the cost of their lives by carrying them to their nests. These caterpillars eat the ant larvae as they grow. When they turn into butterflies, they keep stealing food from the ants.

Some types of butterflies can grow up to 25 cm.

Some types of butterflies can reach quite large sizes. For example, in bird-winged butterflies, the wingspan is almost equal to the span of a human foot. However, some types of butterflies are also very small and cute!

Many gray or brown

When it comes to butterflies, we always think of colorful landscapes. However, most butterflies are gray and brown. Some types of butterflies are also colorless. For example, butterflies with glass wings!

Some types of butterflies have colors that we cannot see.

These cute creatures look at the world in a completely different way than we do. Their eyes have evolved to see the smallest details. Thus, they can also detect ultraviolet colors. Many butterflies have UV pigments in their wings. They get help from these flowers, especially for mating.

They use fake heads to fool predators.

butterflies; They may be preyed upon by birds, lizards or spiders. If you gave a butterfly a choice, it would prefer to bite on its wings rather than its head. 😊 Because butterflies can fly even if their wings are damaged. To protect the head, they use a false-head-like organ located right next to the wings, with false antennae on it. Really amazing!

Sometimes steal poison, use it

Fake heads are not the only weapon butterflies use. Some caterpillars absorb plant poison and use it against predators. Monarch butterflies, for example, pick up milkweed toxins, making themselves less palatable.

Butterflies-swallows emit a strong smell

When threatened, caterpillars of swallowtail butterflies throw out a colorful, odorous organ called an osmetria. Thanks to this organ, resembling a snake’s tongue, they emit a strong odor and scare away predators. Excellent protection!

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