LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Butterflies: Flowers
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Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some ... derive nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies play an important ecological role as pollinators.
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Throughout history, lepidopterans—especially the colorful butterflies—have been admired for their delicate beauty. They have a prominent place in art and literature as symbols of freedom, creativity, and the beauty of nature. The animals are ... crucial parts of the ecosystems in which they live. Their most important ecological role is in pollination, the transfer of pollen from one flower to another, which helps plants to reproduce. Butterflies and moths pollinate many wild plants as well as important crops grown by humans for food.
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As adults, butterflies consume only liquids and these are sucked by means of their proboscis. They feed on nectar from flowers and ... sip water from damp patches. This they do for water, for energy from sugars in nectar and for sodium and other minerals which are vital for their reproduction. Several species of butterflies need more sodium than provided by nectar. They are attracted to sodium in salt and they sometimes land on people, attracted by human sweat. Besides damp patches, some butterflies also visit dung, rotting fruit or carcasses to obtain minerals and nutrients.
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In general, wooded habitats are more hospitable to moths, while butterflies prefer open, sunny settings. Butterflies may be found in flowery fields, meadows, and hillsides; along stream banks, roadsides, and the edges of woods; and in clearings, glades, and nature reserves of all sorts. Especially large numbers of butterflies can be found in prairies, arctic and alpine tundra, and deserts following spring or summer rains.
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