Butterflies Partner With Sapsuckers!

A male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker enjoying the sun. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are famous for drilling rows of small, neat holes into live trees. (Notice the holes in the tree in front of the bird). Sap will drip from these holes and the sapsucker will return to drink the sap dripping from the holes he made. Any insect having a sweet drink may also be gobbled up by the Sapsucker!

Today I found a tree with several butterflies perched on a wet patch of bark. Mourning Cloaks, Compton Tortoiseshells and Eastern Commas were all present. I could see a row of leaking holes recently made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The butterflies were enjoying this sweet source of food.

2 Mourning Cloaks and 2 Compton Tortoiseshell butterflies.

Mourning  Cloaks!

The leaking sap supplies an essential source of food for not only butterflies, but many insects, hummingbirds and even bats when sources of nectar are scarce in the early spring. Hummingbirds have been known to time their northward migration with Sapsuckers to ensure they can find food!