Скачать или смотреть Butterfly Mud Puddling

Butterflies, moths and some insect species regularly congregate around mud, fresh dung or decaying flesh. Little is known about this behavior. But there are quite interesting facts with the behavior called ‘mud puddling’.

What is Mud Puddling?
Puddling is the term given to describe the process in which butterflies aggregate in a large number and sip from puddles of water, mud, dung or carrion on the ground.

Why Butterflies do Mud Puddling?
Butterflies get most of their nutrients from flower nectar. Though rich in sugar nectar, it lacks important nutrients, minerals and salts which are essential for the reproduction of butterflies. Herbivores insects like butterflies can’t get enough sodium from plants alone. Because of that reason butterflies visit puddles.

Since muddy or sandy puddles, animal dung, urine and sweat as well as decaying flesh are nutrient and mineral rich sources, butterflies and some other herbivores insects are aggregated in large numbers at these nutrient rich places. They take in salts, minerals, and essential nutrients by sipping moisture from mud puddles.

Needs of Mineral and other Nutrients for Butterflies.
Sodium is vital for many physiological functions including digestion, excretion, reproduction and flight. Both females and males lose sodium during their reproduction. Females lose their sodium while laying eggs and males lose sodium during mating. Males transfer the sodium and amino acid to the females as nuptial gifts during mating. Most of the males mate with multiple females. So each copulation causes the loss of sodium.

Since the females receive sodium from their partners during mating, their sodium needs are not as vital. Due to this mud puddling behavior is much more common in males than females.

Mud puddling is not only seen in butterflies. Most herbivores like moths, bees and other insects also engage this behavior.

Sources;
"Puddling Behavior by Lepidoptera," by Peter H. Adler, Clemson University. Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera. "Mud puddling by butterflies is not a simple matter," by Carol L. Boggs and Lee Ann Jackson, Ecological Entomology, 1991. Accessed online February 3, 2017.