Butterfly Learning

Despite a common perception to the contrary, butterflies are very good learners (Weiss 2000, 2001). Indeed, a capacity for rapid and flexible associative learning allows butterflies to adjust their foraging efforts in response to variable floral resources and to locate appropriate host plants for oviposition (Weiss 1997). We use both field observations and controlled experiments to address questions concerning innate and learned color preferences, duration of memory, and reversibility of learned cues. Doug Blackiston, my graduate student, is looking at learning and memory of Monarch butterflies. Dan Papaj (University of Arizona) and I are currently investigating opportunities for interference between learned associations in different contexts (Weiss and Papaj, 2003). I am also interested comparing the learning and memory capabilities of butterflies, which have a solitary lifestyle, with those of the eusocial honey bee.
 

Pipe-vine swallowtails can learn to oviposit on multiple colors.  Click picture to enlarge

We have also been evaluating several commercially available species of butterfly as potential tools for demonstrating insect learning in the classroom. 

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