Swallowtail behavior

[Steve Foss]

Here are three images of Canadian tiger swallowtails from today.

The first is simply an individual butterfly perched. The the last two show a behavior called "puddling," where in late May or early June, males that have recently emerged from hibernation replenish moisture and minerals at wet spots on sand and gravel. The congregations also apparently serve to make them easier to find for females.

Guess that's the swallowtail version of the reverse "meat market." As in, "hey sailor, can I buy you a drink from this mud puddle?"

All with the Canon 30D and Canon 100-400L IS at 400mm, iso400, various shutters, f8

[jonny_redhorse]

nice Steve!...that middle pic gets it for me!....Somewhat resembles a photo I took last year near Hibbing here...So far I've seen but a few swallowtails at the same beach area(no doubt because it's raining almost everyday! )...need some sunshine!

[MN Shutterbug]

I agree. That mid pic is neat. I've never seen a group of them like that. Thanks for the biology lesson.

[hendenhook]

Very cool Catfish - I actually like #3 as they filter in from the background. "Puddling" sounds like butterfly fun to me - I sure enjoy learning about the natural world here and the photos that show it.

Thanks.

[onthefly]

That middle shot is surreal. Absolutely amazing.

[Dbl]

I'm a big fan of #3!

[Jim Almquist]

Very cool shots Steve. I love them all and thanks for the lesson as I have seen this in the past and did not know what it was all about.Now I know the rest of the story