Megan's Nature Nook
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A few times this summer I’ve been cleaning the animals’ exhibits at the zoo (Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo) and have seen butterflies landing on their scat. (Scat is the scientific name for “poop”). Now why would such a beautiful, fragile, little creature be wanting to land on scat?! The two just don’t seem to go together. Butterflies are attracted to scat because of what it has to offer. They do something called “mud-puddling” where they use their proboscis (straw like mouth part) to suck up fluids. Scat has a variety of nutrients, including nitrogen and sodium that butterflies need for reproduction, but can’t find in nectar alone. Amino acids, vitamins, and minerals can also be found in scat and are appealing to butterflies. Although scat may not be as alluring to us, it’s like a Slurpee for the butterflies!
Butterflies can also be seen "puddling" in sand, soil, and carrion (rotting meat). You may even see them in large groups exhibiting this puddling behavior.
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