Male Butterflies Get the Dirt

Have you ever seen butterflies visiting mud,  dog poop, or even dead carcasses or urine and wondered whether they lost their (nectar-finding) senses? Don’t worry, they’re doing the right thing. They’re collecting necessary salts, amino acids, and other nutrients that nectar doesn’t provide. This process of collecting nutrients from damp surfaces is called puddling.

A male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail collects minerals from damp decomposed granite.

Typically you’ll see male butterflies puddling –they collect salts to become all manly and virile for the ladies. The sodium is transferred to the female during mating and helps improve egg viability. Sometimes you’ll see huge groups of male butterflies puddling together — it’s such a beautiful sight (unless they’re all gathered on poop or carrion… actually, no, it’s still pretty spectacular). Rotting fish is a particular favorite for some — mmmm, yummy (to them).

Though butterflies are just fine collecting their minerals from wherever they need to, you can encourage puddling in your wildlife garden by digging a saucer a little into the ground and filling it with damp soil or sand, adding in a little compost or a pinch of salt if you like. If you prefer, you can keep the saucer raised, but the water might evaporate faster. The important thing is to keep the saucer contents moist — collecting rainwater is a great source for this! For butterflies that prefer liquid fruit, you can set out some rotten bananas or oranges to attract them.

And if you’re extra sweaty, a butterfly might even collect salt from YOU!

Meredith O’Reilly gardens for wildlife in Austin, Texas, and writes about her garden adventures at Great Stems.

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