Tasting butterflies

[Ron Gatrelle]

Butterfolk.... Now that is a lot better that lepers, don't you think? Any
way. Before everyone rushes out to chew the fat, I would encourage anyone
who has allergies to be careful. The birds that throw up after ingesting
monarchs do that for a reason - it is more than not tasting good - they are
"toxic".

I have every now and then caught a butterfly (big or small) that I did not
want to kill but just examine. Then just after netting it or just getting
it out of the net saw another that I either wanted to collect or examine
too.  Not having three hands, I have employed my lips to ever so gently
hold the specimen by the hard margin (costal) of its wings while dealing
with the other specimen(s). This year I have been examining a lot of Tiger
Swallowtails in the NC mountains to gather field info on the undescribed
entity there for those who are working on it. On one occasion, almost
immediately after releasing an undescribed from my mouth, I noticed a mild
irritation in my throat. This lasted for several hours. I assumed I had
breathed in a few of its scales.

As a person who has to take some type of antihistamine every time before I
do into the field (or at the end of the day have massive sinus/headache
problems) There was something about or on the wings of this Tiger that my
throat did not like.
Ron

PS  Here is an example of where a common name (Tiger) is the only one
available as the scientific individual epithet has not been given. Ditto
for Cherry Gaul Azure.


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Acorn" <janature at compusmart.ab.ca>
Subject: Re: Tasting butterflies


> Butterfolk,
>
> I almost hate to admit it, but here are my comments.  For me, it was
> interesting to learn that not all of the antipredator toxins in a
butterfly
> are in its body.  I'll admit, I don't feel like eating the squishy parts.
> However, I'm not above eating a wing or two.  So, a few years back, I
> started sampling the wings of butterflies that, for example, were
> accidentally killed by the rim of my net.  The only species I tried that
was
> truly revulsive was the Mustard White (Pieris oleracea).  It's wings
taste
> the way a pentatomid stink bug smells.  The Cabbage White (P. rapae) has
> none of this taste, in my experience, probably a consequence of its
> cultivated foodplants here in Edmonton.  Most butterfly wings that I can
> remember (P. rapae, Speyeria sp., Cercyonis pegala) taste a bit like oily
> rice paper (not that I've ever tasted oily rice paper-- but at the time
> that's the image that came to mind).  I do hope that this helps.
>
> John Acorn
>
>
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