Pearl Crescent Scat Party!

And you just thought butterflies were all about nectar and sugary bits, didn't you? Well, look at this!

A pearl crescent "puddle club" on some scat (feces),
possibly American mink scat.

Butterflies also perform a feeding behavior called "mud-puddling," or simply "puddling," in which they seek out certain moist substances and suck up the fluid. Mud-puddling does not only occur around mud puddles, however; butterflies may gather around rotting fruit, animal waste, and even carrion. Groups of butterflies feeding together in this manner are called "puddle clubs." The photo above features a puddle club with no fewer than eleven pearl crescents (Phyciodes tharos) dining on some scat, or feces. I'm no scatologist (yes, that is a thing), but I'm guessing the scat in question was made by an American mink.

If a butterfly lands on your skin, it is probably not because it thinks you are a flower. More likely, it is attracted to the salt in your sweat. You see, butterflies like to drink our blood, sweat, and tears. They are also one of the only animals besides Bear Grylls that are known to drink their own urine.

Why do butterflies puddle? To obtain nutrients such as salts and amino acids that they just can't get by drinking nectar. Puddling is done almost exclusively by male butterflies; the nutrients gained from it are packaged with the male's spermatophore (sperm capsule) to help the female produce her eggs.

I'm always amused when I hear people speak of "butterfly kisses." After all, would you want any of these guys to kiss you?

"I can't wait to go land on a human after this."