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This content is from a post originally published on May 15, 2011, on my blog “Pollinators Info” (no longer online).
Butterflies are some of the most conspicuous flower visitors. With their appealing color patterns, fluttery flight, and harmless nature (the adults can’t bite or sting), they have been favorites of naturalists for centuries. While generally butterflies are not the most effective pollinator group, they are important for some plants, and essential for others.
Butterflies might contact pollen on their bodies or wings while visiting a flower. A study by Cruden and Hermann-Parker in 1979 showed that butterflies are the primary pollinators of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, commonly known as the Red Bird of Paradise (yes, this is a plant). I photographed the clearwing butterfly in the featured image in Costa Rica.
Reference: Cruden, R.W. and Sharon M. Hermann-Parker. 1979. Butterfly pollination of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, with observations on a psychophilous syndrome. Journal of Ecology 67: 155-168.
| Download and use of images from this site is a violation of copyright law and legal action will be pursued, unless permission has been granted by the author. All images are copyright Athena Rayne Anderson unless otherwise stated. |
Athena Rayne Anderson 
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