They show up here every spring, 'whoopin' it up' in the woods. I've never seen one eat a butterfly, and I hope they don't do that here!

Sherry

It never ceases to amaze me that people don't want to believe that flycatchers eat anything other than the ugly insects. :) Yes they will eat butterflies. But they also eat grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, wasps, various other insects and berries. Whether those are "good" berries or "bad" berries can be up for debate. Butterflies make up just a portion of their diet and they certainly are not the cause of decline in butterfly species.

I never begrudge any bird anything in its diet, including butterflies and/or moths, if they're a part of it. Fortunately for me, I've not had to witness but one butterfly about to be eaten, and I saved it from a preying mantis.

Interestingly, the butterfly was a cloudless sulphur. Maybe sulphurs taste best. :/

Sherry

Yeah, I think we quite often forget that nature, besides being incredibly beautiful and amazing, is cruel. ("cruel" meaning doing things that we don't want it to do).

Yesterday I saw a red squirrel steal a baby bird and began to eat it. I "rescued" the baby bird, but it quickly died............and the squirrel went away hungry. It's hard having human emotions!

Squirrels. Ugh. Don't get me started...
But I'd give any butterfly in the garden for a Crested Flycatcher...
What a cool bird!! Still, it's sad seeing one of your favorite butterflies being nabbed. I once watched a Chickadee grab for an American Lady and miss. I was glad she got away, even though I love Chickadees.
Last Summer I saw a huge Praying Mantis giving a Monarch the hairy eyeball. I didn't kill it (I think they're too cool) but I did move to relocate him. He quickly flew off and I never saw him again.

LOL.........often times, it's hard to know who to root for!

Monarch: 1
Praying Mantis: 0

YAY monarch!

I moved my preying mantis to the woods, where it could feed on other bugs.

Sherry

Fortunately I haven't seen any of the huge Praying Mantis. There are videos of them on the web catching and eating hummingbirds.

Oh......that's awful! Are those mantises in the U.S.? I hope not!

I'm afraid so. I've seen video of Chinese Mantids eating Hummers...So sad