Wild Periyar – Mud Puddling (Butterflies)

Common Blue Bottle; Graphium sarpedon

Mud puddling is a social insect activity usually involving newly hatched males where several butterflies of one or more species gather on moist banks of sand or mud. Mud puddling butterflies often spend a long time on these damp patches, where they suck salts along with water to obtain nutrients. Male butterflies seem to benefit from this mud puddling behavior with an increase in reproductive success.

Red Helen; Papilio helenus

2 thoughts on “Wild Periyar – Mud Puddling (Butterflies)

  1. Pingback: Kerala Butterflies – Common Mormon | Raxa Collective

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