Mud-puddling

Where the conditions are suitable, conspicuous insects such as butterflies commonly form aggregations on wet soil, dung, or carrion.

[9] The presence of an assembly of butterflies on the ground acts on Battus philenor, for example, as a stimulus to join the presumptive mud-puddling flock.

[14] Some Orthoptera – e.g. the yellow-spined bamboo locust (Ceracris kiangsu) – are attracted to human urine, specifically to the sodium and ammonium ions in it.

[17] In Borneo lowland rain forest, numerous species of butterflies regularly visit decaying fruit to drink.

This behavior is mainly opportunistic, though some are highly attracted to old fruit, notably Satyrinae (e.g. Neorina lowii) and Limenitidinae such as Bassarona dunya.

Other butterflies like most Pieridae, Papilionidae and Morphinae are rarely if ever seen on carrion, dung and rotting fruit, though they may be avid mud-puddlers in the strict sense.

Altogether, the Nymphalidae show the highest variety of nutrient-gathering strategies among the butterflies; the Limenitidinae have numerous mud-puddlers that also frequently visit dung but avoid fruits and carrion (namely the genus Limenitis),[6] and some which are attracted to any pungent substance.

Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica of Madagascar has been noted to visit and suck tears by inserting their proboscis into the closed eyelids of roosting birds.

[23] Dryas iulia has also been observed agitating the eyes of caimans and turtles in order to force tear production, which the male butterflies of the species can drink for minerals.