onders I’m beginning to see butterflies around my place. Not in large numbers – but every one is a delight to behold.
I wish I had a few more blooms and blossoms around so I could have more of these winged wonders.
Here are a few butterfly facts you might find of interest: The Julia Heliconian butterfly is among the most foul-tasting to birds; that’s because, as caterpillars, they feed on passionflower vines, which contain trace levels of cyanide. Monarch butterfly caterpillars feed on milkweed plants, which likewise makes them bad-tasting.
So, what a caterpillar eats will largely determine how long the adult butterfly will live.
Zebra heliconian butterflies sleep together in formations known as roosts and this is thought to offer some protection from predators who are repelled by the assembled mass. Older butterflies return to the exact same spot each evening, but youngsters change from branch to branch.
Question marks are one of the few butterflies that rarely visit flowers. They much prefer rotting fruit, carrion and dung.
Like male birds, male butterflies defend their mating territory by either fighting or chasing off interlopers. The great purple hairstreak is a fierce aerial fighter. It will spiral up in the sky and beat its wings against its opponent.
Finally, bright sunny days are the best times to spot butterflies in flight. To get off the ground, they need to have a body temperature between 68 and 122 degrees.
jerry hall daily record columnist
