The thought of eating insects makes my skin crawl, but that’s not the consensus throughout the world. There are many places where eating certain insects are considered delicacies or more for necessity.
Eating cockroaches and other creepy crawlies is very common and makes you wonder what other types of insects people dine on.
Do people eat those beautiful butterflies that you see floating around your flowerbed?
Table of Contents
Many People Eat Butterflies
People eat butterflies! In many parts of the world, eating these beautiful insects is considered a delicacy, and many people enjoy trying them. If you travel to almost any country in Asia, Mexico, and Africa, you will find that eating butterflies is completely normal.
Many people in these areas of the world think eating butterflies make a delicious dessert or appetizer.
Eating insects is referred to as Entomaghy. If someone eats butterflies, they fall into this category because butterflies are classified as insects. Many people rely on eating insects for protein and nutrients.
In fact, in many parts of the world, the meat of insects is the main meat ingredient for the lower class. But you also have wealthier people who think eating insects is a delicacy.
- RELATED: Can Earwigs Fly? (OMG, What??)
Can You Eat Any Butterfly?
While eating butterflies is prevalent in many parts of the world, you need to be careful about which butterfly you eat. Those beautiful Monarch butterflies you’ll see may be lovely to look at, but you’re not going to way to eat one of these.
Monarch butterflies eat milkweed. The elements that these butterflies absorb when eating milkweed are poisonous to anything that eats the insect.
If you were to eat a Monarch butterfly, it’s highly unlikely you’ll die, but you can become very sick. That’s why birds and other insects tend to avoid eating these butterflies too.
The colors of a Monarch butterfly’s wings act as warning signs to predators that they can make them sick.

- RELATED: Do People Eat Hippos?
Monarch butterflies aren’t the only butterflies that can cause humans to get sick. Several other species of butterflies eat plants that can become dangerous to us.
But if you’re ordering butterflies at a restaurant or market, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
The other butterflies that are known to eat milkweed are spring azure, tailed blue, viceroy, clouded Sulphur, American copper, and eastern black swallowtail.
Other butterflies you’ll want to avoid eating are those that are on the endangered species list. Any animal or insect on this list is illegal to hunt and eat.
How Many Butterflies Are Endangered?
It’s hard to say which butterflies are endangered throughout the world since there are hundreds of butterfly species.
In the United States, there are around 20 species of butterflies that are on the endangered species list.
The main reason these species are endangered of going extinct is due to loss of habitat.
How Do Butterflies Taste?
How a butterfly tastes will depend on how someone prepares it. If you order butterflies at a market, these insects are going to taste like whatever they’re seasoned with.
To me, this means they will probably taste pretty good if you can get past the idea you’re eating a butterfly.
There was a scientist who ate several butterflies without any seasoning in the name of science. He claimed that they tasted pretty bland and similar to “dry toast.”
Can You Eat Caterpillars?
Thinking back to the basic science classes from your childhood, you probably remember learning that butterflies come from caterpillars.
So, if people eat butterflies, can humans eat caterpillars? Yes, you can! Similar to how certain butterflies are poisonous to humans, you won’t want to eat certain caterpillars.
You can even find caterpillars on skewers in Asian markets.
- RELATED: Do People Eat Pandas?
How Many Species of Butterfly Are There?
There are roughly 17,500 different species of butterfly known to man. Of those 17,500, only about 750 species can be found in the United States. To put it another way, only 4.5% of all butterfly species are in America.
There are even fewer species of butterflies in Europe. Of the 17,500 species in the world, 428 of those are found in Europe. You’ll find the majority of butterfly species in Africa.
You’ll find butterflies all over the world. The only place you won’t find them is Antarctica. Butterflies prefer to live in warmer environments but have been known to survive in colder ones.
But Antarctica is way too cold for butterflies and any other insects to live there.
- RELATED: Do People Eat Tigers?
How Long Is Caterpillar a Caterpillar?
Before a butterfly can spread its wings and fly away, a caterpillar, or the butterfly larvae, must form a cocoon and stay there until it transforms into a butterfly. For most caterpillars, the transformation process takes a few months.
There are some butterflies that can complete the metamorphosis ina s little as four weeks or as long as five years.
What Is The Most Dangerous Butterfly In The World?
It’s hard to believe that butterflies are harmful. Even the butterflies that eat milkweed aren’t dangerous enough to kill a human. They just make them sick. But there is one butterfly that is considered to be the most hazardous butterfly in the world.
- RELATED: Do People Eat Alpacas?
The Antimachus Swallowtail is very dangerous. You may also hear this butterfly called the African Giant Swallowtail. It’s one of the largest butterflies in the world. This insect’s wingspan ranges from seven to nine inches, just a little bit smaller than Queen Alexandra’s butterfly.
These butterflies are poisonous to kill more than five small animals, like cats.
Something to keep in mind is that many poisonous butterflies have orange, red, and brown markings. These markings are there to act as a warning that they’re poisonous. If you see these butterflies, you don’t want to eat them or let your animals near them.
The largest butterfly species is Queen Alexandra’s butterfly. This insect has a larger wingspan than many other butterfly species. The female Queen Alexandra’s butterfly can have a wingspan up to 30 centimeters long. That’s almost one foot in length!