Brightly colored butterflies with long forewings, Longwing Butterfly varieties have unusually long life spans. In general, these butterflies may live for several months; which is much longer than most other butterflies. Because the larvae of most longwings feed on passion vines (which have noxious chemicals that are carried over to the adult butterflies), predators avoid eating the butterflies. Then, beyond sipping nectar, adult Longwing Butterflies are also avid pollen eaters. That provides more nutrients needed for a long life.

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