Red Admirals on track

[Martha Rosett Lutz]

Now that I have a search image for Red Admirals, I noticed a swarm of them
at the outdoor track (I was running sprints there this morning between 8
and 9 CDST).  A lot of the butterflies were hanging out near the trash
cans.  To put this in ecological perspective, the track is mostly used by
people who are there to run, and the trash cans are predominantly filled
with used beverage containers--water and sports drinks.  The track is in
more of a rural than an urban setting:  wooded areas to one side, open
fields on two sides, and a swamp near the wooded area.  One side is
occupied by the softball complex, but I didn't notice any butterflies over
there.

Do Red Admirals like Gatorade?  Would they get any important nutrients from
it?  One butterfly seemed to be defending one of the trash cans--even flew
over and beat his/her wings against me when I came close.  There was a
Gatorade bottle with some liquid still in it right at the top of the trash
. . . does anyone know whether this would be a valuable resource for a
butterfly?

In Stride,
Martha Rosett Lutz



 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl