When most people picture a butterfly, they often envision a vividly colored insect flitting between flowers. However, nectar is not a butterfly's only source of food. These delicate and exquisite creatures congregate near mud puddles and sip the wet mud with their probosces. What could explain this unusual behavior?
Butterflies seek salts from mud that are not present in nectar. It is mainly male butterflies that engage in this 'puddling' behavior because it aids them in reproduction. The nutrients the male absorbs are transferred to the female through the spermatophore, or a sac of nutrients combined with the sperm, and improves the viability of the female's eggs. Increased viability of the eggs contributes to the development of the caterpillars, ensuring that the male's genes will be passed on. The female can gauge the health of the male by the spermatophore, and select him based on the nutrients it contains. The male has a natural impulse to spread his genes, so he gains nutrients from mud to guarantee that more females will choose to mate with him.
The most common butterflies that congregate in mud puddles include tiger swallowtails and cabbage whites. If you want to observe this phenomena for yourself, you can create your own butterfly mud puddle in your yard. The ideal mud puddle conditions are at mid-day on a sunny day, where water has evaporated from the mud but the ground is still moist.
1. First, fill a shallow dish with sand, soil, or gravel. This dish should be disposable.
2. Pour water in the pan.
3. Sprinkle salt on the pan and, if possible, add rotting fruit.
Butterflies clustering around a mud puddle is a rare phenomena, so this setup may not attract whole clusters. However, it will likely attract a butterfly or two. Whenever you walk by a river bank, keep your eye out for a mud puddling cluster, especially if it rained recently!
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