Error message
Unable to fetch location details at this time.
Gulf fritillary, (♀)
Agraulis vanillae, (Linnaeus, 1758)
32.8669, -97.2755
Field Notes
Description:
It is a medium sized butterfly in the family (Heliconiinae). The butterfly was a female laying eggs on a Passion vine, (passiflora). The butterfly has silver and brown spots on the backside of the hindwings. The back of the forewings have orange and black also with some silver. The ventral view has black and bright orange with a pinch of brown to the veins. The thorax and head has white and orange striping. This butterfly also carries alkoloids, that is a yellow bad tasting toxin that makes birds not eat it. The abdomen also has orange colors.
Habitat:
Semi-urban, Fort Worth, Texas. This one was found at 10:00 in the morning laying multiple eggs on a passion vine. It is in a Sub-urban backyard in Arcadia park, north Texas. This butterfly likes tropical areas more across the coast states but can be found through all of North America.
Notes:
With Florida constituting a major component of the geographic range of this butterfly, the migration pattern of gulf fritillaries in Florida is well-documented. In Florida, gulf fritillaries have two major flights during the year. The first major migration involves huge populations of butterflies flying northward while the second migration involves the butterflies moving southward throughout the state, especially throughout the peninsular parts of Florida. The first and second migrations occur in the spring and the fall, respectively.
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment
Sign in to comment