Sunday, May 23, 2010

Salt Life, or Salt FOR Life

On a drive down a lonely state forest road recently, we stopped for these puddling butterflies. The brown buckeyes were there in numbers. Some flew as I approached, but still I caught these five and a swallowtail in a picture. They had collected at the site of some animal scat in the road.

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Puddling or mud-puddling is the name given for the phenomenon when moths, butterflies or sometimes grasshoppers congregate to feed in usually a wet substrate in order to obtain necessary salts and other nutrients. I read that human sweat, tears and even blood have been known to be attractive to them in their search for salt.

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Makes me  thankful for Morton’s!

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