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What do butterflies eat? Well, they don’t eat they DRINK from nectar plants. The type of plant can vary by species of butterfly. A butterfly’s main diet consists of nectar. Butterflies drink through a tube-like tongue called a proboscis, which uncoils to sip liquid food and recoils when the butterfly is not feeding.
Monarch butterflies especially like Milkweed plants. This includes Swamp Milkweed, Tropical Milkweed and Common Milkweed. Other common butterfly plants include Purple Coneflower, Butterfly Bush, Tall Verbena, Lantana, Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Blazing Stars, Buttonbush, Petunia, Sunflower, Violet, Passion Vine and Zinnia.
Butterflies also like fruit. They like watermelon and near-rotten banana. They also like Gatorade as well as sugar-water. You can make sugar-water by mixing 1 teaspoon of sugar for every 10 teaspoons of water. Be sure that the liquids are not left completely exposed to the butterflies or else they will fall on and won’t be able to get out. Instead, soak the liquid in a cotton ball or sponge. This way, the butterflies have a landing pad from which to feed.
If you are gardening to attract more butterflies, I would suggest planting your nectar plants in mass and in sunny locations. By grouping a number of the same nectar plants together you’ll enable butterflies to see your garden from a distance. You should also consider native nectar plants, so that they fare better in your climate.
If you are rearing butterflies, you can place fresh-cut flowers in their rearing cage. Butterflies normally feed one day after emergence. The economical route for plant material would be to purchase seed and nurse the plant to full growth, as fully grown nursery plants can be pretty costly.
~Stephanie S.
Imagine Butterflies
LetsImagineButterflies.com