Butterflies use their long feeding tube, called a proboscis, to drink the sweet nectar from flowers. While they get the sugar they need, nectar is lacking in some important nutrients needed for reproduction. For these necessary salts and other nutrients, butterflies, mostly males, sip liquids from mud puddles or any moist area where soil might be dissolved in water. This behavior is called puddling.
The sperm of male butterflies contains important minerals needed for reproduction. Females receive these nutrients during mating when males transfer their nutrient rich sperm to the females.
Check the index for other information, science investigations as well as crafts about butterflies.
More Later, Janice
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