Sunday, June 14, 2020

Puddling Butterflies

Two of many spicebush swallowtail butterflies that I saw during a socially distanced walk in a park this week. Click to enlarge.
I was at this lovely spot in the New Jersey pine barrens.
When I noticed little dark things fluttering on the shore of the lake.
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.
They flew up when I got too close.
But settled back down again.
I love stumbling upon things like this!
So pretty.
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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