Butterflies: The Pretty Pollinators

Reprinted from "Wildlife Habitat Basics"
Wildlife Habitat Management Institute
Natural Resources Conservation Service

You would have to look hard to find a down side to butterflies. Few cause damage to crops or humans, for instance.

On the other hand, on the positive side, they are: (1) important pollinators; (2) good indicators of the ecological quality of a habitat, as important components of the food chain; (3) colorful, aesthetically pleasing, fun to watch; and (4) a backyard, park, or schoolyard favorite of children and adults alike.

The role of pollination of U.S. crops is not small potatoes. From almonds to alfalfa to apples, pollinators are key to production of 150 food crops worth $10 billion each year.

The honey bee is the most valuable pollinator, only 15 percent of the crops are pollinated by domestic bees; 80 percent are pollinated by wild bees and other wildlife, including butterflies.

More broadly, about 218,000 of the world’s 250,000 flowering plants, including 80 percent of the world’s species of food plants, rely on pollinators to reproduce.

Butterfly habitat destruction

The main threat to butterflies is the destruction and loss of their habitats. The channelization of riparian areas, draining of wetlands, lowering of water tables, growth of cities, and intensification of agriculture all contribute to this habitat loss. Widespread use of pesticides may also threaten healthy butterfly populations.

Monarch nectar corridors

Scientists are particularly concerned about habitat loss in “nectar corridors” -- the migratory routes that pollinators follow in order to take advantage of a sequence of plants coming into bloom along a south-to-north gradient in the spring and the reverse in the fall. The habitat is critical to migrating Monarch butterflies, as well as hummingbirds, bats, and other nectar-dependent migratory animals.

Butterfly habitat

Adult butterflies rely on nectar, while developing caterpillars need leaves and foliage. Both get their water from the plants. A variety of native wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses interspersed across the landscape offers good butterfly habitat. Consider planting wildflower gardens, roadsides, and idle areas with native nectar-producing plants, legumes, and grasses.

For more information, please contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office or conservation district office located at your local county USDA Service Center or visit the NRCS Wildlife Habitat Management Institute’s Web site at www.whmi.nrcs.usda.gov or the NRCS Web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Butterflies: The Pretty Pollinators (51 KB)

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Last Modified: 12/18/2007