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| Two of many spicebush swallowtail butterflies that I saw during a socially distanced walk in a park this week. Click to enlarge. |
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| I was at this lovely spot in the New Jersey pine barrens. |
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| When I noticed little dark things fluttering on the shore of the lake. |
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| They turned out to be spicebush swallowtail butterflies congregating on the mud to suck up minerals. The behavior is called mud-puddling or just puddling. Other insects puddle, but it is conspicuous and cool when big butterflies like this do it. |
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| They flew up when I got too close. |
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| But settled back down again. |
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| I love stumbling upon things like this! |
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| So pretty. |
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| And there were dozens more butterflies around. Sometimes you are just lucky and end up in a park on a spicebush swallowtail puddling day. |
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