One of cutest little butterflies that can be seen is the little yellow. It is easy to differentiate from the common yellow butterflies that are seen in Iowa--the clouded sulfur (also called the common sulfur) and the orange sulfur by size. The little yellow is about half the size of the clouded sulfur, and much smaller than the orange sulfur.
This butterfly is doing an interesting behavior called "puddling". Oftentimes on hot summer days, if you can find a mud puddle, you can find butterflies. The butterflies congregate around the edge of the mud puddle, and sip from the mud. You will not find them actually in the water--they are usually a few inches away from the edge, but in the area of dirt that is visibly wet. Some mud puddles will have dozens, even hundreds of butterflies. Often you can find several species.
This is an excellent opportunity for butterfly photography.
To get this shot, I stretched out on the gravel with my elbows in the mud. I had to move slowly to prevent spooking the butterfly. I was able to use my elbows to stabilize the camera, and got three pretty good shots of this butterfly. I did get the front of my shirt muddy.
This year, I got smart and bought some of the commercial knee pads made for gardeners and construction workers. They make a huge difference!
The little yellow butterfly has several larval host plants, including partridge pea. I don't know how they get around the ants.