Mud-puddling is a behavior seen in butterflies and other insects by which they sip moisture and nutrients from wet soil or rotting plant material.  Even though I know that puddling is part of its nature, there is still something a little disconcerting about seeing a beautiful, delicate butterfly sitting in the mud.  I never can seem to shake that unsettling feeling that it ought to be up gently floating on a breeze or drinking nectar from an alluring flower.

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.”  ~Carl Sandburg