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Project Noah Nature School
Heliconius charithonia
Butterfly with long and narrow wings; black with narrow yellow stripes on the dorsal side. On the ventral side, the pattern is paler with red spots. Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 4 inches. The wingspan ranges from 72 to 100 mm. Adult butterflies are monomorphic of medium size with long wings.
Range is South America north through Central America, West Indies, and Mexico to South Texas and peninsular Florida. Occasional immigrant north to New Mexico, Nebraska, and South Carolina. Habitat includes tropical hammocks, moist forests, edges, fields .Flight is all year in South Texas and southern Florida, wanders north during warmer months. This one was photographed along the Constructed Wetlands Trail at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park near Augusta (Richmond County), GA.
It is also called the zebra longwing butterfly. Caterpillar Hosts: Passion-vines including Passiflora suberosa, P. lutea, and P. affinis. Adult Food: Flower nectar and pollen, which are gathered on a set foraging route or "trap-line". Favorite plants include lantana and shepherd's needle. The caterpillars are white with black spots and have numerous black spikes along their body.
Spotted on Nov 9, 2013
Submitted on Feb 22, 2014
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