A butterfly’s habitat should contain the same things that all living creatures need. The environment must contain enough food, water and shelter to support the animal. In addition, the habitat must provide favorable conditions for reproduction.
Monarch butterfly.
The food source needed in a butterfly habitat varies between species. Some adult butterflies do not need any food and spend their entire adult lives mating and laying eggs. Most butterflies, however, suck their food through a long straw-like tube called a proboscis. As such, a liquid food source is needed.
While some butterfly species have been documented to feed exclusively on one type of flower, most are content with the nectar of whatever plant flows through them. Fruit juice, tree sap, and sometimes even liquefied manure are also potential food sources. The common imperial species of butterfly, native to India, feeds almost exclusively on the liquid components of dead animals.
a butterfly
Often, a butterfly’s habitat is not influenced by the diet of the adults, but by the nutritional needs of the larva. To ensure the survival of her offspring, a female butterfly lays eggs only on plants that caterpillars eat. Unfortunately, most butterfly chicks are very picky eaters. Monarch butterfly caterpillars, for example, feed only on milkweed leaves. Zebra butterfly larvae are equally peculiar, choosing to eat exclusively on the leaves of the papaya plant.
colorful butterfly.
Almost all insects need liquid to survive. Butterflies, however, do not need and cannot make use of large bodies of water. Since the majority of an average butterfly’s diet is made up of liquid food, a butterfly’s habitat does not generally require additional moisture sources. Species that occasionally need additional water can usually absorb it from moist soil or sand.
butterflies
Butterflies have different housing needs during each of their growth periods. The need for protection from rain, wind and predators is common throughout the butterfly’s life. The primary concern, however, may vary between stages of development. An ideal butterfly habitat will have multiple housing possibilities for each life cycle.
At first, the eggs of the insect, of necessity, must be attached to the host plants, and it is advantageous if these plants are protected from heavy rain and strong sun. Early in the larval cycle, the caterpillars should have some aerial cover to help protect them from birds and other predators. Later, these caterpillars require hard, dry surfaces to adhere to during the chrysalis stage. In adulthood, protection from rain is the main concern, as the butterfly’s wings must be kept dry to fly.