Today I got to witness a monarch “puddling,” and it was fascinating. Butterflies will “puddle,” which means drinking water while taking the minerals from the mud. I read that water will help cool down a butterfly.
And here are some more photos of a monarch drinking sweet almond bush nectar.
A great deal of research has shown that butterflies, mostly males, will mud-puddle, or what’s coined “puddling,” which enables them to drink “salt” from the mud. So to test the research, my daughter and I included a little spot in our garden to see if we can attract any males. One of the websites I found shared that if you sprinkle salt on the surface, or put overripe fruit in the dish, it will attract the butterflies, something we might try after a few days.
The males partake in the puddling because it helps them digest nutrients, which helps support the female in producing healthy eggs, therefore creating healthier offspring.