Swallowtails puddle at Trail shoreline

Swallowtails puddle at Trail shoreline

Avid hiker and nature photographer Brenda Haley recently captured an eye-catching summer scene at Gyro Park in East Trail when she came across a group of western tiger swallowtail butterflies gathered on the sandy shoreline. The butterflies were likely “puddling,” a behaviour in which they gather on damp soil or sand to absorb water and minerals. The nutrients play an important role in reproduction, and it’s not uncommon to see dozens of butterf…