Mudpuddling Eastern Tailed-Blues

Here's a group of Eastern Tailed-Blues engaged in mudpuddling, basically trying to get nutrients from the soil that they can't get from their nectar (basically sugar water) diet. This behavior is usually performed by males, though the benefits are transferred to the females as a nuptial gift during mating, and should improve the survivability of their offspring.

The two butterflies on the right have their wings down and you can see how these tiny guys get the "blue" part of their name. It's harder to see the "tail" (really just a part of the hind wings that protrude out a little bit), though other looks have me confident of the identification.

May 6, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve


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