Off The Cuff

Beautiful video of butterflies “mud rumbling” stun the Internet

April 12, 2023
Bharat Times

The butterfly video took social media by storm.

Butterflies are adorable creatures, known for their striking colors and delicate wings. They are part of the insect order Lepidoptera and are characterized by their graceful flight and the intricate patterns on their wings. They have several subspecies, such as monarchs and swallowtails. Butterflies are not only a wonder of nature but also play an important role in pollination, making them important contributors to the ecosystem. But they also exhibit a unique behaviour, as elaborated by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Parveen Kaswan.

The official posted a video on Twitter which shows a large group of butterflies around a water body. Most of them are trying to find some place where they are sitting on the ground, as if trying to get something out of the ground.

Mr. Kaswan said it is called a “puddle of mud. Where butterflies gather to collect salt.” He added that the video was shot during a random trip.

In a subsequent tweet, the IFS officer said, “Mostly done by males. They collect salt and pheromones to attract females. They collect them from small pools of water, cow dung, soil etc.”

The tweet has been viewed nearly 1 lakh times and garnered over 1,800 likes. Some Twitter users were stunned by the video, while others posted similar clips of the behaviour.

“You always amaze! Wow! Never heard of this before!” One user commented. “Sometimes I wonder how Mother Earth creates such simple yet beautiful pieces of nature,” said another.

A third user commented, “I could sit here looking at them for hours. I seriously don’t understand how people can’t see the beauty in nature.”

These creatures undergo a remarkable metamorphosis, transforming from a crawling caterpillar into a breathtaking butterfly, symbolizing their important contribution to the ecosystem. They are cherished by people all over the world.

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