Hi, all, Does anybody know of any records/images showing butterflies being preyed upon while puddling? I’m curious because it seems like they would be at their most vulnerable while engrossed with feeding, so much so that they completely lose focus of their surroundings. Those of us who are more fa…

I have heard that it is very tough for the predator to pick on a group of Monarchs as Monarchs produce a special enzyme.

Butterflies are actually quite vulnerable while puddling; only in certain cases do “strength in numbers” communal behaviors serve as protection from predators (especially of the avian sort). In this observation ( https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/80720367 ) there is a great deal of carnage fro…

Probably not what you’re looking for, but in Virginia I noticed that puddling swallowtails were “visited” by a small wasp species that perched on the butterfly’s wings while it was drinking. [wasp on tiger swallowtail closeup] [tiger swallowtail and tiny wasp puddling 2 riven rock state park VA …

Thanks for replying! I’ve heard this being proposed as a possible explanation but it literally (and i don’t mean to sound rude or anything) makes zero sense because the theory of safety in numbers is used for large aggregations of the same species, that are naturally gregarious and synchronise their…

Thanks for replying but i do not buy this explanation. Please see my comments under @abhijatshakya 's post

Agreed, this explanation would definitely apply for unpalatable species, but in the case of puddling butterflies, the vast majority do not have chemical protection

Maybe your butterflies are different, here they’re far from the state where you can pick them, come little closer - yes, but they’re very much hidden from predators by their colouration and underwing is more cryptic, and if there’re many of them it works the same as school of fish. [DSC_9596]

Thank you so much for your reply! I personally am not a fan of the “strength in numbers” theory because it simply does not make sense when you see them in the field as i’ve explained in my other comments and is more of a convenient attempt to pass this off as another one of those situations involvin…

Thanks for replying. There always are small flies and wasps sitting on puddling butterflies’ wings like this but i don’t think they cause any harm

I do agree that those butterflies with cryptic and chemical protection are the ones that should be least concerned about congregating openly However, the biggest irony is, that toxic species (Danainae for example) are rarely observed puddling on the ground in large numbers (when they do puddle, it’…

Seeking records of butterflies being preyed on while puddling

Nature Talk

atronoxychump September 22, 2021, 2:03pm 18

Wow that is amazing and very lucky! I would love to witness that in the tropics

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Seeking records of butterflies being preyed on while puddling

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