10. Legs
Butterflies have 6 legs (3 pairs).
"Brush-footed" butterflies
(mourning cloak, painted lady,
monarch)
look like they have only 4 legs.
The two front legs are small
and covered with small hairs.
They hold these legs up by their
head.
Pipevine
Swallowta
il
23. FAMILIES
-There are several families then sub-species of those, but for
today’s program we won’t get that involved
-this is a way to define them by wing shape, size, color and
behaviors.
SWALLOWTAILS- large & beautiful, long sweeping tails, like the
bird it is named after.(except the Gold Rim) There are 100’s of
species, they also have osmeteria gland (little antennae) which
emits a strong odor or spray.
SULPHURS- named for bright color reminiscent of the element,
yellow to orange & green to white
GOSSAMER- means light, delicate, sheer butterflies, most have
clear shimmery color on their upper wings
BRUSH-FOOTED-a wide variety, the main likeness is-front legs,
which are located close to the head are atrophied and called
“minute legs”. The minute legs are sensitive to chemicals in
certain plants, this helps the female identify host plants.
SKIPPERS-moth like in appearance, smallest of the butterflies,
mostly gold w/dark markings or dark overall, some of the most
common visitors to the butterfly garden they dart or “skip”
around the garden
SATYRS-small to medium, various shades of brown, usually in the
woodland setting rarely visit flower gardens
26. GULF FRITILLARY
Agraulis vanillae nigrior
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50. TOP SW FLORIDA NECTAR
PLANTS
-Butterflies tend to prefers plants with clusters of flowers and
prefer a variety of flowers.
-Butterflies prefer flowers in this order red,yellow, lavendar
-Not all butterflies feed on nectar, some like rotting fruit, tree sap
and even dung
Plumbago Firebush Gaillardia
53. BOOKS TO READ
Butterfly Gardening Made Easy, Mike Malloy
Florida Butterfly Caterpillars, Marc C. Minno
Florida Butterflies, Eugene J. Gerberg
Florida Butterfly Gardening, Marc & Maria Minno
Butterflies Through Binoculars: Florida, Jeffrey
Glassberg
Butterflies of the Florida Keys, Marc C Minno
Butterflies of Florida, Jaret C. Daniels
The Butterflies of the West Indies and South
Florida, David Spencer Smith
Butterfly Gardening, The Xerces Society
54. PLACES TO GO LOCALLY
Collier County Museum
Conservancy of SW Florida
Naples Botanical Gardens
Sugden Park
Rookery Bay
Naples Zoo and Caribbean Gardens
Briggs Nature Center
Butterfly World (Coconut Creek) 1st
in US!
Museum of Science And Industry (Tampa)
55. BEGINNERS “LIFE LIST”
OF SPECIES
(Butterflies are so easy to identify while
they are resting because they move their
wings up and down slowly for your
inspection.)
56. Butterflies are the epitome
of freedom in
nature.
Thomas C. Emmel
University of Florida,
Gainesville
Editor's Notes
LEPIDOPTERA-
-more than 90% of Lepidotera are moths, butterflies only seem more abundant because they fly during the day.
- are distinguished as scale-winged insects with long strawlike sucking mouth parts.
It is these scales, which are actually tiny flattened hairs, that give color to the butterfly.
South west Florida is a subtropic setting year round which gives us such a variety
- August and October greatest abundance as well as migrating
As all insects their bodies are divided into three sections-
Head - antennae, eyes and mouth parts- sensory and feeding part of body
Thorax - two pairs of wings and three sets of legs (on some butterflies the first pair of legs as evolutionized into brush- like structures)- locomotion
Abdomen - digestion and reproduction
-tend to fly during the day
-slender bodies, wing usually broad
-head relatively small and antennae club symmetrical without a curved tip
A butterflies antennae are skinny with little knobs on the end. Butterflies use their antenna to smell flowers, plants, and other butterflies.
A butterfly has two compound eyes - lots of little
eyeballs grouped together. Each eyeball sees a little part of what the butterfly is looking at. It's like looking through a bunch of straws bundled together.
-The adult butterfly uses both its eyes and feet to locate favorite plants. -Their eyes see both visible and ultraviolet light, so they see some flower designs and color that we cannot see.
A proboscis is like a long tongue or drinking straw. The butterfly
uncoils its proboscis and sips up flower nectar or fruit juice.
They taste plants with their feet. This helps them identify nectar sources, and females are able to locate the most desirable plants on which to deposit eggs.
-4 wings: 2 hindwings and 2 forewings.
-long narrow wings can fly very fast.
-larger wings can float and glide in the air.
-some butterflies can fly up to 80 miles a day
Butterflies use their wings to soak up the sun's rays
when the weather is cold.
Scales
Tiny colorful scales cover the both sides of a butterfly's wings.
Scales with different colors make patterns and designs on the wings.
These patterns are almost the same on the left and right wings,
but patterns are very different on the front and back of the wing.
Some butterflies have very colorful wings so other butterflies can
see them and find them when they want to mate. Sometimes brightly
colored butterflies are poisonous and bad-tasting. When other animals
see them, they know not to eat them.
Some butterflies have dull colors on their wings. This helps to
camouflage or hide them so other animals won't eat them
their scales overlap like roof shingles
SKIPPER-they tend to act like butterflies but look like moths.
-stout bodies, wings are short and stronger in appearance than those of the butterflies, smaller in size
-their wings beat faster, than butterflies and they have a quick erratic flight pattern
-antennae are set apart on their wide head, and antennae club is curved and drawn out at the tip sometimes curved back.
-approximately 67 species in Florida (mating), 26 additional species have been found in the State of Florida but do not breed here.(these strays are usually from the West Indies)
SKIPPER-they tend to act like butterflies but look like moths.
-stout bodies, wings are short and stronger in appearance than those of the butterflies, smaller in size
-their wings beat faster, than butterflies and they have a quick erratic flight pattern
-antennae are set apart on their wide head, and antennae club is curved and drawn out at the tip sometimes curved back.
-approximately 67 species in Florida (mating), 26 additional species have been found in the State of Florida but do not breed here.(these strays are usually from the West Indies)
MOTH
-fly at night generally
-males have feather looking antenna
-have thick fuzzy heavy bodies
-moths hold their wings down at their sides when at rest, usually tent like over their abdomen.
-Large moth caterpillars often eat for many weeks up to months, unlike butterfly caterpillars which eat for approximately 10-15 days
-some moth caterpillars have stinging hairs.
-only moths will hibernate over winter in Florida
BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE
Butterflies have a complete metamorphisis of 4 distinct stages- they start out in one form and change into a completely different creature. (ladybugs,ants bees, fleas)
EGGS
-eggs are the size of a pin head (4mm),
-eggs(the larva) typically hatch after only a 3-5 days.
-many times the egg casings are consumed after being hatched)
-most eggs are laid on a host plants, but some are laid between layers of bark and hatch after the winter months.
-when ready the catepillar chews its way out of the egg
CATERPILLARS – Larval Stage
-Caterpillars do little more than eat! , this is their growing stage. (as adults no growing takes place)
-the mouthparts consists of mandibles used to chew leaves.
-They eat until their skin has stretched as far as it can, at this point they molt ”INSTAR” and a new skin appears this process can happen up to 5 times. They may change color or appearance with each molt
-They then leave the host plant and find a sheltered spot to pupate.
CHRYSALIS-the transformation stage to a butterfly -Chrysalis/Pupa can take a few days or an entire winter to emerge-Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar is making a complete metamorphis and reforming itself into a butterfly. The butterfly pushes from inside and slowly struggles out, until the case splits open
GULF FRITILLARY (Agraulis vanillae nigrior)
-the hindwings below are decorated with numerous silvery, like patches which look like drops of mercury and quickly distinguish it from the Monarch.
-adults have a low rapid flight, loves the sun
-during the fall millions migrate south, wintering Florida.
-it has been said they will stay year round if you have plenty of Passion vine grown in a sunny location
-the Chrysalis looks like a dead leaf, crinkled and brown
Host/Nectar Plant- Passion Vine, Incense, Corky-Stemmed
(Lantana, Pentas-Nectar)
Eggs- yellow eggs laid singly, the eggs or often found laid on the tips of the Passionflower tendrils to avoid being attacked by ants, several broods a year
1-3 wks.2.5-3.2Brush-footed
(AM. )PAINTED LADY (Vanessa virginiensis) -the caterpillars build a nest to protect themselves, using the leaves of the host plant. The nest expands as the caterpillar gets grows, the chrysalis sometimes forms inside the nest.
- resident of Northern Mexico, migrates in N. America before migrating south again in the fall.
-they “march” around the flower like a tiny drill sergeant, wings held upright hardly ever at rest
- beautiful agate like design on under side of wings/camo
-a nervous butterfly, often takes off only to return in moments
-very protective of their space, will fly right at intruders big or small
Males perch and patrol during the afternoon for females that are ready to mate.
Host/Nectar Plant- Thistles, Lantana
Eggs- pale green, laid singly
1-3 wks.1.75-2.5Brush-footed
-the sulphur migrates southward into Fl by the millions during late summer and fall this is considered one of FL’s natural phenomena
-depending on the caterpillars color you will know what they ate (green/yellow) Cassia
-the butterfly has an extremely long proboscis, which enables it to feed at many long tubular flowers, giving them their own niche
-skittish, constantly on the move
-you will only see their wings open when they are in flight
Host/Nectar Plant- Cassia (small larva eat small holes, larger eat from the edges of leaves, Lantana, Plumbago
Eggs- laid singly on new growth of host leaves or flowerbuds
5-10 days2.5-3Suphurs (Cloudless one of the lgst)
ZEBRA LONGWING (Heliconius charitonius)
-butterflies can last 6 months, because they have two proboscis. The one proboscis turns the nutrients into amino acids to be absorbed by their body for later use.
-Will rarely see in the sun, enjoys a shade garden
-can maneuver through dense foliage (saw in a live oak)
-group together in the evenings
-easy to photograph because the rest w/there wings spread wide
-common for males to mate w/females while still in the chrysalis
Host/Nectar Plant- Passion Vine(in shade), Incense, Corkey-stemmed, Firebush, Firecracker
Eggs- yellow laid in small groups on new growth and tendrils of host
1-6mos3-3.4Brush-footed
In 1996, Governor Chiles designated the Zebra Longwing as Florida's official state butterfly. The zebra, easily identified by its long black wings striped with yellow, is found in all parts of the state year round.
Zebras fly slowly and don't startle easily, making them easy to follow and observe. A zebra resting at dusk can be gently coaxed to climb on your finger and to return, unflustered, to its perch. Zebras roost in groups, returning to the same location each night. Zebra longwings feed on nectar and pollen. They are the only butterflies known to eat pollen which is probably why they have a long lifespan of about six months. If denied pollen, they live a more typical lifespan of about one month. During the spring and early summer, I have seen zebras concentrated on the red pentas and occasionally visited the blue porterweed nearby. In winter, they're attracted to poinsettia flowers. Passion vines contain toxins that are consumed by the larvae and make the adult butterflies poisonous to predators. The newly emerging caterpillar is yellow. It will go through four or five instars (moltings), becoming white with six bands of black spots and black branched spines and a greenish-white head that is also spotted and has two spines. When it pupates it forms a chrysalis that looks like a spiny curled, dried leaf. If disturbed, the chrysalis makes a rasping sound. The entire process, from the time the egg is laid until the butterfly emerges, is dependent on temperature, taking longer during cool weather. Under optimum conditions, it may take as little as three weeks.
-caterpillars eat and often hide near the ground during the day
-enjoys being around the coast, waterways and mangroves
-darting flight pattern, frequesnting low growing plants (saw @Calistoga on the Portulaca
-Tampa Bay had a plethora of White Peacock until mangrove trimming was allowed to open the view to the bay. Ripping out of host plants followed with the planting of grass. Now only one or two may be spotted in that same area
Host/Nectar Plant-Turkey Frog Fruit, Water Hassop
Eggs- green eggs laid singly
10-14 days2-2.8Brush-footed
-Only Swallowtail w/o tail
-rarely seen not near or on host plant, which is one in the same.
-young caterpillars eat in groups starting on young shoots, flowers, then older foliage
-caterpillars have a osmeteria gland that shoots a foul smelling odor
-underside chocolate brown w/orange & yellow along wing margins
Host/Nectar Plant- Dutchman’s Pipe (protected by toxin)
Eggs-orange colored eggs in small clusters
1-3 wks3-4.5Swallowtail
Generally they are small, indescript, brown butterflies. Close examination of a species might reveal a metallic sheen to the wings Adults tend to orient themselves in an upside-down position when resting.
- Males perch on low-growing plants to wait for females. Caterpillars rest underneath leaves during the day, emerging at night and on cloudy days to feed.
Host/Nectar Plant- Yellow Thistle
Eggs- flattened eggs are reddish-brown with white netting
??½-1Metalmarks
Narrow wings, shallow wing beats
Rapid fliers, males patrol woodland edges for females,
Found in open areas, that are shaded
-Males more brilliant, females underside almost a muddy brown
Host/Nectar Plant- Spanish needle, lantana, Passionflowers
Eggs- yellow elongated
10-21 days3-3.5Brush-footed
-About 1”in size, prominent eye spots, fond of sandy areas and spots where they can rest on the ground. The buckeye is easy to identify and one of Florida s most familiar butterflies. Males flight is fast and low to the ground, females flight is low to the ground but more fluttering.
-Truly a social butterfly, isn’t put off by competition, one book I read mentioned that they saw a Zebra & Buckeye side by side sharing nectaring on the same flower
-likes to bask in the sun with its wings spread open on a flower, rock or even a driveway
Host/Nectar Plant- Frogfruit, Water Hyssop, Ruella
Eggs- pale green laid singly
5-21 days1.8-2.5Brush-footed
The nickname, may have come from the butterfly’s habit of hibernating during the cooler days of the southern winter. In the summer it is anything but sleepy with its rapid flight.
Eggs- white,slender and pointed when first laid, they quickly turn yellow. Females lay eggs singly.
Host/Nectar Plant- Cassia species in the pea family, Nectar from many species of flowers, including shepherd's needle
??1.5-2.25Sulphurs
-don't appear as colorful as other swallowtail butterflies until sunlight reveals the iridescent blue of their hindwings.
-once a predator tries to eat a Pipevine chances are they will never do it again, birds have been known to vomit after attempting this!!
- The species name for the Pipevine is Battus philenor,presumably because of its striking resemblance to a bat.
Eggs- Reddish-brown eggs are laid in clusters of 1-20 on the underside of pipevine leaves
Host/Nectar Plant- pipevine (protected by toxins)
1-2 wks2.75-4.5Swallowtail
Once abundant throughout South Florida
Coontie(for starch) was commercially harvested in the 1800’s causing severe reduction in the Atala. By 1965 was reduced to a single colony.
-they fly low to the ground at a leisurely pace
-might be mistaken by local moth
Host/Nectar Plant- Coontie, lantana, periwinkle, shepherd's needle, and wild coffee.
Eggs- white laid in clusters on new growth
3-10 days1.5-2Gossamer
