BUTTERFLY

PLANT

RELATIONSHIP

Butterflies spend the majority of their lives surrounded by plants. In a specific region, the butterflies adapt to their native surroundings. Butterflies and native plants have co-evolved together, thus creating this special butterfly/plant relationship.

Very often, butterflies are extremely particular about which plant they use for feeding, egg-laying, and roosting. Simply put, butterflies and native plants depend on each other for survival. As for the plants, the butterflies and other insects aid in their quest for survival by passively helping with the plants pollination process.

In addition to food, the host plants provide shelter for all stages of the butterflies life cycle. Many caterpillars are very host specific and would starve rather than eat the "wrong" plant. The adult female is careful to lay her eggs on the correct host plant so the larva (caterpillar) can eat enough food to fuel itself for the metamorphosis (change from caterpillar to adult butterfly).