Butterfly Gardens Butterfly and Moth Senses Butterflies use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry predators. Caterpillars can sense touch, taste, smell, sound, and light. The vision of butterflies and moths changes radically in their different stages of life. Caterpillars can barely see at all.
Most caterpillars have a semi-circular ring of six ocelli on each side of the head.
An optic nerve then carries this information to the insect's brain. These hairs are attached to nerve cells, and relay information about the touch to the insect's brain. They also give the insect information about the wind while it is flying. The tiny antennae , which are near the mouth parts, sense smells. A butterfly's antennae, palps, legs,and many other parts of the body are studded with sense receptors that are used to smell.