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Butterflies excrete waste
 Q: At a recent wedding, we were given envelopes that contained a live butterfly. At a signal, everyone
opened the envelopes, and the butterflies flew out as the bride and groom exited the church. I noticed
three small brown stains in the envelope, and a child nearby asked, "Do butterflies poop?" --Charlotte
Pursell, Largo, FL
A: Yes, those butter-colored stains you noticed were butterfly excrement. An early Dutch name for butterflies
was boterschijte and may be the origin of the word "butterfly."
[© Scott Camazine, ScottCamazine.com] Butterflies digest food much as we do
Butterflies, like all insects, digest their food inside a tube (called the alimentary canal) that runs from mouth to anus. To eat, a butterfly
uncoils its long snout (proboscis) and sucks in nectar. The food enters the alimentary canal, gets digested, its nutrients absorbed, and
waste excreted.
(Answered July 12, 2002)
Further Surfing:
John Meyer, North Carolina State U: Insect digestive system
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