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Published 2 days ago
on August 2, 2020
By Chee Kin
Butterflies: beautiful, delicate, and in some cases, truly majestic to behold. If you have ever seen one up close, chances are you will have been left spellbound by the way their wings look, whether it be in motion or gently at rest when they perch on your shoulder or your finger. Surely these adorable little critters feed off only on sweet sweet fairytale flower nectar to survive?
Well… not quite. While the common assumption of butterflies surviving off nectar is true for the most part, nectar doesn’t in fact contain enough nutrients for butterflies to live off on completely. Which is why a phenomenon called ‘mud-puddling’ occurs.
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‘Mud-puddling’ is termed as such because of how the phenomenon is often seen when butterflies congregate around wet soil and mud to ‘absorb’ essential salts and amino acids that are essential to their biology.
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weehingthong 