Whites galore

A hot and sultry day for a meeting at a local wildlife site to discuss its future management. The hedgerow bramble is now in full bloom and was proving very attractive to the numerous butterflies that are on the wing at the moment, particularly small and green-veined whites, but also skippers, ringlets, meadow browns and the first few gatekeepers. Wonderful to see them in such abundance.

The pond still had a little water remaining, but there was much exposed mud round the margins, which was occupied by a gang of 'mud-puddling' small whites (see extra). It's believed that butterflies congregate on mud and other such substances primarily for salts. The salts and amino acids absorbed during mud-puddling play various roles in butterfly ecology, ethology and physiology. Males seem to benefit more from the sodium uptake as it aids in reproductive success, with the precious nutrients often transferred to the female during mating. This extra nutrition helps ensure that the eggs survive. This behaviour is very common in the tropics but I've only seen it in the UK in hot, dry summers.