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Celastrina ladon
Seasonally variable and sexually dimorphic. Upperside of males blue, females with some black at outer edge of forewing. Late spring and summer forms with white above. Underside hindwing gray-white with faded small black dots, darker gray with larger black spots, or with blotches and black margins in the center. Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 3/8 inches. Life History: Males patrol and perch all day but are most active from midafternoon until dusk. Eggs are laid on flower buds. Caterpillars feed on flowers and fruits and are tended by ants. Chrysalids hibernate.
Stillhouse Falls Hollow, Tennessee.
"Mud Puddling" on a millipede carcass & checking out my friend's camera bag!
Spotted on Mar 14, 2012
Submitted on Mar 15, 2012
2 Comments
Sorry Maria, I meant to post a link to the wiki page!
Mud puddling is where male butterflies visit mud, manure, rotting fruit & sometimes rotten carcasses to gain the minerals they need for reproduction that they can't gain from nectar.
What is "mud puddling"?