Everyone knows that bees, wasps, and other small insects work hard to collect nectar and pollen, but did you know that, like the birds, they also need a source of water?
I loved your article and took your advice and added some stones and pebbles to my "butterfly bath". When I went outside to take a picture of it, a butterfly was already in it for a drink, and then flew onto the bush nearby! Great timing and thanks for the tips for our pollinators!
Nice job Peggy- It looks so nice in that spot! Male butterflies will seek moist places searching for the minerals that their bodies need for reproduction. This behavior is called "puddling"- so allowing for a patch of wet, bare soil is a good addition to the garden. Some varieties of butterflies feed on decaying fruit, and some even on "scat"-poop
"My work is loving the world. Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird — equal seekers of sweetness. Here the clam deep in the speckled sand. Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished." — Mary Oliver, from Messenger
Just a follow-up on the feral kitties.......lol.....even though they're supplied with several water sources, including a small pond which they can easily access, I guess they also felt entitled to the "pollinator bath" this morning!! Endless head-shaking this summer.....:)
