Puddling Butterflies

Have you ever discovered a group of butterflies hanging out at a mud puddle or perhaps congregating on a pile of dung or a recently deceased animal? Ever wondered what those butterflies are doing? Often these butterflies will seem as if they are in a trance-like state as they appear to show no interest in giving up their activity even at our approach. This behavior is called mud-puddling or just puddling. It is a common sight to see during spring and summer, especially if water holes, dung or carrion are readily available. Many times, you will see other insects, such as bees, wasps and moths and some beetles sharing the same resource. In the case of butterflies who partake in this activity, they are nearly always males. As few as 1 to 2 percent will be females. So why is it only the males seeking these mud puddles?

Having a diet rich in nectar and all its sugary tastiness sounds ideal, but in reality, while this food source provides bursts of energy, it supplies very little in the way of valuable nutrients necessary for successful breeding and healthy egg development. Males will seek out other available resources that provide the amino acids, sodium, and ammonium ions they need to not only replenish their own supply lost during mating, but to be able to pass those nutrients onto the females for successful egg production and to increase the survival chances for those eggs. Females do not need to puddle for nutrients, since all the sodium and other minerals she needs is provided to her by the male via his reproductive fluids. Much of these valuable minerals are passed onto the eggs and their development, but remaining nutrients are absorbed by the female. Males often mate with many individual females, and at each mating event those minerals are passed to the female, thus depleting his own supply. This explains why it is nearly always males found puddling and why it is so important that they have access to these resources.

During puddling an excessive amount of fluid is taken in through the proboscis, so much so that not all of it can be absorbed. Once the important nutrients have been stripped from the watery fluid the “waste fluid” must be expelled. Many species do this by means of a type of jet propulsion that shoots the liquid from the hind regions of the butterfly at a rapid-fire pace. 

There are ways that we can assist the butterflies in their nutritional needs. One way is to create a puddling station. This can be done by simply placing a large saucer (12-18 inches in diameter) in your garden. Place sand on one side and pebbles, for perching, on the other. Add non-iodized salt to the sand then moisten the sand with water making sure it is not drenched. You can also place bits of banana or citrus within the saucer to further attract them. If butterflies are still not finding your generously provided mineral source, try placing decoys on the saucer in the shape, color, and form of butterflies. It is known that those butterflies who puddle are attracted by the visual of other butterflies puddling. Soon it will turn into a veritable puddling pool party. Another thing you can do is bring home a small bucket of river sand. The sand found along riverbanks is already rich in amino acids and sodium from the wild animals urinating there, and from the water fluctuations caused by flood events which deposit nutrients in the sand. Place this sand in your saucer along with just enough water to keep it moistened. Not only are you providing all the nutrients they need, but in years like this year when many areas are experiencing drought, you are supplying a much-needed water source. Most likely, bees and wasps will also find your platter of decadence and partake as well. You will be helping a plethora of pollinators, not just butterflies. 

While schlepping home a recently available piece of roadkill is not exactly appealing to most people, if you are of a mind to do so and have a place on your property where the eventual smell will not reach sensitive human nostrils, those butterflies who prefer carrion will thank you. Many puddling butterflies glean their nutrients through decaying animal matter and dung. Those particular individuals need the ammonium ions available in dung, blood, and flesh. Or you could just stick with the much-preferred sand and water. Placing rotting fruit in your gardens is also a great option. Bananas, citrus, and stale beer are all appreciated by mineral seeking butterflies. I frequently keep oranges or grapefruits out for our orioles. This year the hackberry, comma and question mark butterflies have all but taken over those particular feeders. If you have an oriole feeder that is not being used for its intended target, try placing oranges out anyway, and see if the butterflies show up.

Attracting pollinators has become the focus of many gardeners, and environmental groups around the world. Providing puddling stations is a great way to start your journey of providing a pollinator friendly environment. If you would like to do even more, consider planting native plants whenever possible. It is important to note that native varieties of plants are adapted to our constantly changing temperatures and weather events. This means less water and work for you once they are established. In many cases, native plants have evolved right along with the insects that use them for host plants or nectar sources. Attracting these flying flowers to your yard via nectaring plants is a wonderful thing to do, but you will attract even more by planting the host plants the female needs to lay eggs. Many butterflies are host specific, meaning they rely on one particular family of plants for their offspring to develop on, and no other plant will suffice. Whereas any nectar plant, in most cases, will provide the sugary energy they need. Want monarchs? Plant milkweed. Want red admirals, let your nettles grow. For each butterfly, there is a host or multiple hosts you can plant to entice them into your yard and gardens. It may take some research on your part to determine what will attract the species you are most interested in seeing in your landscape. It will be worth it!

In your gardening journey, consider forgoing the fancy non-native cultivars that attract us with their bright blooms and glossy leaves. Instead, opt for the more subdued, well adapted native varieties that will attract more pollinators. Place one or more puddling stations within your gardens and provide shallow dishes of water as well. Avoid throwing out decaying or rotting fruit like bananas or citrus by placing feeding stations in your yard. With every butterfly friendly effort you make, you will be rewarded with the amazing flying flowers that bring joy to our time spent outdoors.

What A BORE(R)!

For many years I have tried to locate and photograph one of Missouri’s most spectacular longhorn beetles…the Cottonwood Borer. I always come up empty handed, and this beetle continues to be my nemesis to this day. I work along the river with numerous cottonwood trees, no beetles. I walk and hike along the river with cottonwoods, no beetles, everywhere the cottonwoods are I look and no beetles. I am seriously beginning to wonder if I will ever see one.

My son while farming with a man near Dearborn, found one in the river bottoms. He didn’t know what he found, and when he sent the image, I was so excited. I told him what it was and asked him to bring it home to me…he had already left the area and couldn’t go back…sigh! See what I mean?

The cottonwood borer is a type of beetle referred to as longhorn beetles. They are classified in the family of insects called Cerambycidae. The name comes from the shepherd Cerambus, the mythical Greek figure who was transformed into a large beetle with horns after an argument with nymphs. The long horns of Cerambus are equated to the long antennae of beetles in this family, who’s antennae may be as long or longer than their bodies. In the case of the Cottonwood Borer their antennae are usually a bit longer than their overall body length. This is impressive considering, this beetle is capable of reaching lengths up to 1 ¾ inches and a width of a half inch! They are black and white with a pattern that reminds me of the classic pattern in women’s fashion called houndstooth. The white portion of the pattern is actually masses of microscopic white hairs, and each beetle has its own unique pattern of white that acts similarly to the fingerprint in humans.

Like their name suggests, their host plant of choice is the cottonwood. They will also use poplar and occasionally willow or sycamore. The female chews small pits into the base of the tree where she lays her eggs. The eggs hatch and the young larvae begin chewing and feeding their way to the heartwood of their host. It takes up to two years for them to complete their lifecycle to adult. When they are ready to pupate they make their way to an underground root and remain there for three weeks before chewing their way out of the cocoon and digging their way to the surface. Once they have reached the surface, the adults have approximately two months to feed, mate and lay eggs before they perish.

The feeding habits of the larvae can damage young trees. Girdling the tree is the biggest threat to trees, also known as ring-barking, which removes or injures the trunk of the tree or other woody plant being fed on. Girdling prevents the tree from sending nutrients from its foliage to its roots overtime. It will also prevent flow of nutrients in the other direction depending on how much of the xylem is removed. Zylem’s basic function is to transport water from the roots to the stems and leaves, and also transports nutrients. This feeding activity weakens young trees making them susceptible to wind damage. Large mature trees usually receive no damage from their feeding activity.  Cottonwood Beetles will feed on recently felled trees and act as decomposers who recycle important nutrients back into the soil. Adults typically feed on leaf stems and the bark of tender shoots, occasionally causing flagging.

Chemicals can be applied to the trees to help control these beetles, but rarely is this type of treatment necessary. These chemicals also have the potential to harm beneficial insects in the process. Lowland flooding often kills many of the larvae. With recent spring and early summer flooding I can attest to hundreds of large cottonwood trees making their way down the fast-moving river. I am certain many of these same trees carried the larvae of the cottonwood borer. 

Like most things in nature, I prefer to find the beauty in all creatures. For me this beetle is stunningly beautiful and has so far eluded me at every turn. If anyone happens to see one of these impressive beetles, keep in mind they can bite if mishandled, but do give me a call…please!

 

All photos of Cottonwood Borers provided by K. Leeker.

Halloween--Spider Season

Banded Garden Spider

Halloween is the time of year for tricks or treats and frights of all kinds. For many of us with arachnophobia, spiders are a fright no matter what time of year it is.

However, in autumn it often seems like we are under siege by diminutive 8-legged creatures. Everywhere you look there they are! There is a reason for this. The spiders have been around all year in miniature form; therefore we don’t notice them. The tiny spiderlings spend all season growing, and by September and October they are large and much more visible. When we also factor in that they are looking for places to spend the winter, like our homes, we are much more likely to run across one.

Where does this fear come from? Are we born with it? Experts say no, so why are we afraid? It comes from many factors in our lives. Maybe your Aunt Bessie feared them and taught you the same fear, or perhaps your grandpa Joe thought they were all dangerous and passed his sage wisdom onto you, and now you carry the same misguided idea. Or....maybe....it was from all those cheesy movies you couldn't resist watching. Whatever the cause, it is a fear that can become all consuming and create anxiety attacks in those afflicted which such a terror inducing phobia.

Burrowing Spider

The film industry has created an unreasonable fear of anything 8-legged, furry and creepy. While I do agree spiders are not exactly cuddly, they are far from the evil masterminds that perpetrate all sorts of woes against mankind. In fact, the opposite is true, spiders should be considered a friend to humans. They are insect eating machines and have devised all sorts of unique ways for capturing nuisance bugs. Many spiders build easily recognized webs that often hang from the eaves of our homes, or perhaps from the plants in our gardens. Walking into one of these webs as you stroll around your yard or hike a beautiful trail, will turn you into a kung-fu champion as you invent moves never before seen to shake an unseen, eight-legged invader you are convinced is now attached to your person.

Other spiders stalk their prey, much like a cat stalks a mouse. Pouncing on their victim at the last possible second and subduing them with great speed and dexterity. Still other spiders build "trap doors" in the ground and pull their victim into their lair to meet an untimely death.

With over 300 species of spiders living in Missouri, there is no shortage of encounters to be had. Especially in autumn before the first freeze arrives, you will see them, in what seems like, everywhere. Spiders come well-equipped for hunting, most species possess eight eyes, giving them incredible eyesight (at least within a reasonable distance). There are a few species, such as the brown recluse, that only have six eyes, but this does not deter them in the slightest where hunting is concerned.  Nearly all spiders have a venom cocktail unique to them and can deliver their toxic brew through fangs which are often much larger than would seem necessary for the job.  Most, but not all, spider venom is harmless to humans. The venom is only deadly if you are a six or eight-legged creature destined to be dinner for one of these master hunters. In fact, most spiders have fangs too weak to bite through human skin. Some of the larger spiders would be capable of biting us, but rarely do unless mishandled.

Brown Recluse

Black Widow

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                               There are two spider species in Missouri that may have medically significant consequences to humans, should you be bitten. Brown Recluses have been given a bad rap for many years. Yes, they do possess venom that can potentially be harmful to humans and may cause necroses (skin rotting).  If left untreated, these wounds can become infected and cause a life-threatening situation. This would be in EXTREME CASES! Most recluse bites go unnoticed by people, their fangs are so sharp that the bite is generally not felt. Venom typically causes skin irritation and itching at the sight of the bite, and nothing more. On average, about 10 % of the cases, a severe reaction will occur, and medical treatment will be required. The bite itself is not fatal, unless you happen to be incredibly allergic to the proteins in their venom. It is the secondary infections from leaving the bite untreated that could result in death. If they are in your home, or somewhere you do not want them to be, try to relocate them outside far away from their original location. One key to identifying these spiders is the "violin" shape on the back of the head. It is this unique marking that earned them the nickname Fiddle Spider.

Missouri is home to three species of black widows, and the female of each species has a highly toxic venom.  Black widows are very secretive and prefer to avoid humans, even though they tend to build messy little webs in the rafters or corners of buildings, basements, cellars, and other man-made structures. You will also find them under rocks, in wood piles, even in the holes in golf course greens. The bite from one of these spiders can be a nasty experience. It is said that their venom is ounce-for-ounce more toxic than a rattlesnake. I know of no deaths that have occurred in Missouri as a result from a bite of one of these glossy black beauties, but I've heard tales of many painful encounters.

The poison of the black widow spider affects nervous system function. The bite causes severe pain in the vicinity of the bite, accompanied later by dizziness, nausea, blurred vision and breathing difficulty. A physician should be contacted immediately. Death is not likely to occur unless you have an anaphylactic reaction to the venom. Black widows rarely leave their web, preferring instead to let food come to them. Bites typically occur when coming into direct contact with the web or pinning the spider against your body. Black widows are predominantly a nocturnal species and will rarely be seen during the day, unless you happen to turn over a rock or log and find one. 

 

Wolf Spider

I remember when I was a small girl my grandfather found a very large spider in his basement. He had no idea what the spider was, so he took it to the local college and asked a biology professor to identify it. The professor informed my grandfather it was a harmless wolf spider and that he should place it back in the basement and let it do what they do best, eat bugs. Dutifully, my grandpa returned home, and quietly retreated to the basement and secretly let this spider go. Winking at me, he said, "this will be our little secret". Knowing full well if my grandma got wind of a spider the size of a silver dollar living in the basement, he would never have clean clothes to wear again. I figure my grandpa had the right idea. So, all of you borderline arachnophobes out there; try not to buy into what the movie producers what you to believe. No giant flesh-eating monster spiders are going to attack you while you sleep. You are safe. For now.

 

Trapdoor Spider