Bob Suchanek, Water and Wetlands Steward
Photo Credit – Bob Suchanek
Photo Credit – Bob Suchanek
“Awe comes in the strangest of places and in the most common places, too.” – Joe Roman
I remember the first time I saw a flutter of butterflies gathered at a muddy puddle. It was summertime and I was working on my uncle’s farm in southern Minnesota. The butterflies were common yellow sulfur butterflies (sometimes called cloudless sulfur butterflies) that I often saw on flowers in my aunt's flowerbed. Here in the edge of a dirty farmyard puddle, they seemed to be performing some mysterious ritual that challenged my understanding of flower-sipping butterfly behavior!
Male butterflies need to be in top condition when they mate. It isn't just a matter of fertilizing eggs. Mating males create a packet (up to 10% of body weight) during mating called a spermatophore that contains sperm and nutrients for the development of healthy eggs; a sort of nuptial gift. They get those nutrients from nutrient-rich water in puddles and damp soil as well as decaying flesh, excrement, sweat, and crocodile tears.
Puddling is an expensive and dangerous business. Butterflies must expend energy locating a suitable nutrient source and then manage to survive their extended time on the ground. A short list of birds that eat butterflies would include warblers, flycatchers, sparrows, and jays. Of course, we shouldn't forget other creatures like ants, toads, lizards, dragonflies, and wasps that have butterflies on the menu and other dangers like farm tractors, cars, and clumsy biologists.
Some Sources:
http://butterfly-lady.com/salt-drinking-butterflies/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/puddling