Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Strange Facts About Butterflies
When most people think about insects, they shudder. Most people don't like insects. They think of strange, creepy bugs. They think of scurrying ants. They think of stinging bees. Did you know that butterflies are insects, too? They aren't like most insects. They are pretty. They fly gracefully through the air. People aren't afraid of them. Most people like to see butterflies fluttering around flowers. No one would guess that butterflies are so strange!
One strange thing about butterflies is that they taste with their feet! Butterflies don't have mouths. Instead, they have a long straw-like body part that they use to drink nectar or other liquids. It is called a proboscis. Since they do not have mouths, butterflies have tiny taste sensors on their feet. They are much like the taste buds on our tongues. When a butterfly lands on a flower or anything else, it can taste it!
Want to know an even stranger fact about butterflies? They don't poop! A butterfly's diet is made up only of liquids. Its body uses almost all of the liquids that it drinks. Sometimes, a butterfly will spray a mist of liquid when it has had a lot to drink. This liquid is waste, but it is almost pure water.
