What Do Butterflies Eat?

Butterflies look beautiful in flight and beautiful in the garden (and you want them to come to yours!). They are insects, and diets vary from bug to bug. If you want to attract some butterflies to your garden, it helps to figure out what they are attracted to and provide their favorite snacks. If you plan your garden, you can see butterflies up close and personal, in more than just a passing glance as they flit through your yard on the way to a neighbor’s.

A butterflies diet depends on what stage of butterfly you are talking about.

Caterpillar Stage

In the caterpillar stage, most butterflies-to-be eat leaves, though some types eat seeds, seed pods, or even flowers. In some cases, specific caterpillars eat only certain parts of certain plants.

The caterpillar of the Harvester butterfly is helpful in a garden, making meals out of aphids, thus saving your plants. As an added bonus, some of the butterfly caterpillars come in interesting colors and sizes. The Swallowtails come in vibrant colors and even some great looking stripes. You do not necessarily have to wait for the post-chrysalis life to see something beautiful in your garden. 

Adult Butterflies

Adult butterflies (the beautiful ones with wings, not the creepy, crawly caterpillar stage) do not eat, as in chewing food, but they derive their sustenance through what they drink. Each butterfly is the proud owner of a proboscis, which is a tongue-like projection. They use the proboscis like we use straws, sucking up nectar from flowers, tree sap, and other material.  

Attracting Butterflies

Depending on the type of butterfly you want to see and your locale, you can plant your garden to attract certain insects.  Plant flowering plants, especially those that are native to your area. The native plants give butterflies a safe place to lay their eggs, and also work as a food source. In essence, you are creating an environment for butterflies to settle down and raise their families. Butterflies like bright colors, so when you plant, select yellow, red, pink, orange, or purple flowering plants. They also like to eat from plants that have clustered blossoms with a bit of a flat terrain. That way, they can most effectively drink up their dinner.

You should ensure that you plant in areas that receive lots of sunshine, especially from 10:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. Butterflies like to feed in the sun, so plants in sunny areas will be very attractive to butterflies. Butterflies are also partial to some of our cast-offs. If you put a piece of mushy watermelon or banana peel in your yard, look for the butterflies. They enjoy the juices from what would otherwise be garbage or compost. 

Butterflies in Your Garden

They definitely do NOT eat bug killer. In your garden, refrain from using insecticides if you want to attract butterflies. Obviously, insecticides are detrimental to the health of the average butterfly. However, there are lots of things that they do eat. You can plant butterfly food to attract the beautiful insects to your garden.

For example, if you want to attract Monarchs, plant milkweed (or, more appropriately, do not pull it out when you do your weeding). To attract Black Swallowtails, look to the herb garden. They are attracted to dill, parsley, fennel, and Queen Anne’s lace (again, a little less weeding!).  It is official: butterflies are hearty eaters. They eat a variety of foods, most of them liquids, from garden plants, flowering plants, weeds, and even little treats that we leave out for them. 

Knowing what butterflies eat can help you attract them to your home. You get to enjoy the beauty of these creatures, help the pollination in your own garden and in your neighborhood, and help your local species of butterflies thrive. It is a simple way to improve your world.