Fossil Droppings Reveal “Oldest” Evidence of Butterflies

Well, this new fossil evidence of butterflies comes from a fossil dropping (a coprolite) discovered in Argentina. Under the microscope, researchers found tiny ornate scales which turned out to be from the wings of a new species of butterfly. In the evolutionary view, this pushes butterfly origins back “squarely in the Triassic Period, about 30 to 40 million years earlier than previously proven” (interesting choice of the word “proven”!).

The article claims this find matches with what was expected from genetic studies:

While genetic data had hinted that butterflies (more broadly, lepidopterans) might have emerged around 241 million years ago, the oldest physical fossils we had only dated back 201 million years, to the early Jurassic. There was a 40-million-year gap in the fossil record — until now.

But this fossil doesn’t really help them—the butterfly scales are fully formed and functioning, recognizable as butterfly scales. So they weren’t just “emerging” 236 million years ago; when this fossil was formed, butterflies were present, fully formed and functioning! Not surprising at all to creationists!

Back to our question of what butterflies were eating for 100 million years before flowering plants supposedly evolved, the article states,

Forests only consisted of conifers and cycads; flowers didn’t even exist yet. These nonflowering plants secreted sugary droplets for pollination — tiny treats that would’ve been a perfect food source for early proboscis-bearing insects. That means the butterfly’s signature feeding structure likely evolved not for flowers, but for these ancient nectar substitutes.

So 100 million years before flowers evolved, butterflies evolved an extremely complex feeding system that is perfectly designed for eating from flowers, not just droplets? Wow, evolution has great foresight! Evolutionists treat evolution like a god planning things out!

Here’s a better interpretation of the evidence: On day five of creation week, God created butterflies, along with the other flying creatures, and perfectly designed them to feed from and pollinate the flowering plants he had created on day three of creation week. The reason we don’t find flowering plants until high in the fossil record has to do with the rising floodwaters successively burying environments, starting with the deep ocean floor and moving further inland. It has nothing to do with evolutionary eons or geological ages.

When we start with God’s Word, there are no “chicken and egg” problems!

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Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.