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Heliconius spp.
This was taken at a butterfly garden at the University of Florida - so likely not native to Florida. Not sure if it ok to post things like this (not in natural habitat) - so I welcome comments on that issue. I am not sure if I should leave the location blank in these cases. It would be nice if there was a check box near the location info to indicate if the pic was taken in captivity.
Kristen - thanks for the comment. Just as you were posting your comment I figure out that I need to be clear if I do not take pics of organisms in their natural habitat. I think I will avoid that - only have a few and will try to avoid that since I think taking pictures of things in their natural habitat is more fun and will make Project Noah more useful for use. .
Ah yes, in that case the first one is definitely an H. doris from what I can tell.. Do take a look at the ref though so you can be sure too. I think spottings from captive collections are okay as of now (that's what the FAQs say), but they might discourage them in the future. Guess its fine as long as you say where you took them-captive or not.
Oh and still not sure about the second picture. Would it be better if you posted it as a new entry?
I thought they might be two different kinds. Thanks for the quick reply! Oh - this was taken at a butterfly garden - so not out in nature. I guess I need to say that. Or are such postings frowned upon (that is, not in natural habitat). New to Project Noah - so have to figure that out!
These were probably taken at the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Please make sure to note when you post photographs taken in zoos or other captive collections because that helps with identification.
I think the butterflies are two different species of Heliconius- the first being an H. doris (also called Laparus doris); and I'm not sure about the second.
Their range tends to be limited to Central America so am not so sure about this one in Florida. Not too sure about their migratory tendencies either so this is my best estimate.