Butterflies & pollinators
Butterfly
A flutter of colour that tastes with its feet.
Butterflies are insects with four wings covered in tiny scales. They visit flowers to drink sweet nectar.
This friend is very quiet, so you're hearing the place where it lives.
Interesting facts
- Butterflies taste with sensors on their feet.
- They drink through a long tube called a proboscis that curls up like a spring.
- Every butterfly starts life as a caterpillar.
- Butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales that give them their colours.
Where it lives
Sunny gardens, parks and meadows with plenty of flowers.
It might be…
- Sipping nectar from a flower
- Warming its wings in the sun
- Resting on a leaf
Why it matters
While drinking nectar, butterflies carry pollen between flowers, which helps plants make seeds.
Being a good friend
- Stay about two big steps away.
- Move slowly and keep your shadow off it.
- Watch which flowers it chooses.
Please don't
- Don't touch, hold or pick it up.
- Don't chase it or block its path.
- Don't take it home — its home is outside.
- Never touch its wings — the scales rub off easily.
Mission
The Flower Visitor
Find a patch of flowers in the sun.