Predators on Butterflies

viceroy at bellsouth.net viceroy at bellsouth.net
Sun Sep 25 08:01:30 EDT 2005


> 
> From: " Trevor Boyd" <glade12 at gotadsl.co.uk>
> Date: 2005/09/25 Sun AM 04:30:08 EDT
> To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
> Subject: Predators on Butterflies
> 
> On this side of the Atlantic (Ireland), I have had several reports of birds, usually blue tits, perching on branches overlooking flowering buddleia bushes and picking off any butterflies which land on the flowers to nectar.  This can go on for days on end resulting in hundreds of disembodied wings of several different species lying around the bushes.  It seems that some birds learn this trick, but others never do, fortunately for the butterflies!
> 
> Trevor Boyd
> Northern Ireland

Since many of the butterflies sequester their toxins in their wings, this is a good trick to learn. 
The cardinals in my Florida garden also squashed the polydamas caterpillars (Battus polydamus) and fed their children the contents, not the nasty skins. 
Anne Kilmer
Mayo until Oct. 11, hey there, Trevor. 
Not much flying here at the moment; a speckled wood or two. Stormy weather ... 
> 
> 


 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl 
 


More information about the Leps-l mailing list