I’ve watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! – not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!
~William Wordsworth, “To a Butterfly”
Such an apt poem!
You can see the proboscis part of a butterfly’s mouth. This whip like organ serves as it’s tongue and can suck nectar out of flowers. It is also a very sensitive organ and communicates a lot of information back to the butterfly.