Butterfly Facts
• Butterflies do not have any lips or teeth, just a long coiled tongue.• Most butterflies only lay their eggs on a few selective host plants, with each species having a preference for different plant types.
• Butterflies can select suitable plants by a combination of sight, smell and taste, with the butterfly identifying chemicals from the plant which signals it being a suitable host species for food.
• When an adult butterfly emerges from a pupa, the butterfly pumps fluid into its wings to expand them which is followed by a hardening process to allow the butterfly to fly.
• Butterflies in all stages of their life are preyed on by a wide variety of predators in the form of mammals, birds, spiders and other insects.
• Adult butterflies use colour to attract mates, avoid predation, but also to raise body temperature by basking and warming up. This is particularly important in British butterflies.
• A butterfly has thousands of lenses in it’s eyes.
