Mud-puddling Lincolnshire Whites

[petesmith]

During my trips to the French Alps, I have often found impressive groups of butterflies mud-puddling. More often than not these have been groups of Blues, but sometimes also Skippers, Fritillaries and even Erebias have been involved.

It is not a phenomenon that I have really experienced before in the UK to any degree.

The only similar experiences I have had were a handful of cases on the Isle Of White chalk down-lands, many years ago, when I would sometimes come across large groups of Chalkhill or Adonis Blues feasting on fox scat.

Today, as I pulled up by one of our local woods, there was a large group of Green-veined Whites puddling away:

There is brief video footage here:
https://youtu.be/ii3hf4E_AYE

Anyone else seen this in the UK?

[David M]

Funnily enough, Pete, I have seen Green Veined Whites doing this in the UK, but not in the numbers seen in your video.

I recall finding a small group of males on damp (and very dark-coloured) soil a few years ago in Clydach, north of Swansea. It wasn't a particularly hot day, nor were we in the middle of a drought, so I figured that there was something irresistible to this one species in this specific tract of damp ground.

[EricY]

Not sure if this will work, but this I hope is a link to my video on Flickr of same situation in Femyn wood on 3rd July last year.
Mud puddling Butterflies 3.7.18 by ericy202, on Flickr

[petesmith]

Not sure if this will work, but this I hope is a link to my video on Flickr of same situation in Femyn wood on 3rd July last year.

Very interesting Eric! I see your group also included quite a few Small Whites.