May 4
Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Think butterflies are harmless? Think again! The North American harvester butterfly is the only carnivorous species of butterfly in North America; while the adults feed on the traditional diet of nectar, the caterpillars feed exclusively on aphids. Even more metal, they will protect themselves from the ants that tend to the aphids by covering themselves in the carcasses of their prey, which fools the ants into thinking they're just another aphid.
(Image: A pair of North American harvester caterpillars by (Feniseca tarquinius) Bryan E. Reynolds. If you look closely, you can see aphid parts stuck on the caterpillars' spines.)
