Butterflies have chemical sensors in their feet that allow them to taste the objects they land on. This helps them to know when nectar is present and choose the right plant to lay their eggs on.
To humans eating and tasting very much go hand in hand. This is because our taste buds are located on our tongue, and therefore it’s while we eat that we pick up the chemicals that tell us what we’re tasting. As well as the sensors in our mouths we also have additional sensors in our nose, which can help to collect more data on what we’re eating.
For butterflies, however, things are very different. They eat with their proboscis. This is a long thin tube they use to suck up their food. Most of the time the proboscis is folded up under the body, only to be unfurled when food is available.
A butterfly uses its feet and antennae to smell the flowers. Insects generally have a sharp sense of smell, which protects them from toxic plants. The butterfly’s knob-shaped sensors on the end of its antennae pick up smells that lead it to a flower with nectar.
