They pollinate by transferring pollen from one flower to another as they feed on nectar. Here’s how it works step by step:
- Attracted to Flowers: Butterflies are drawn to brightly colored flowers (especially white, red, yellow, and purple) with a strong scent and a wide landing platform.
- Nectar Feeding: They land on the flower and use their long, straw-like tongue (called a proboscis) to reach deep into the flower for nectar.
- Pollen Transfer: While feeding, their legs and bodies may brush against the flower’s reproductive parts—the stamens (which produce pollen) and the pistils (the pollen-receiving part). Some pollen sticks to the butterfly.
- Next Flower Visit: When the butterfly visits another flower, some of that pollen rubs off onto the new flower’s pistil, enabling fertilization.
Butterflies aren’t as efficient as bees when it comes to pollination because they have slender bodies and less surface area for pollen to stick to, but they still play an important role—especially for certain wildflowers that depend on them.