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Monday, September 23, 2013

Butterflies of Florida

A Black Swallowtail


Beautiful Monarch.
A Cloudless Sulphur - Large and conspicuous in flight. Lemon yellow with slight green cast below.

A pair of Julias

Julia - long orange wings and high, lively flight. Fairly common in widely varied habitats in South Florida.

A Gulf Fritillary - common in Florida in varied habitats. Bright orange above with oblong silver patches below.

Gulf Fritillary - its wings are like stained glass, artfully designed to maximize the beauty and light in a garden. 

I first thought that I had a Viceroy but upon closer inspection - I see that the dark line across hindwing is missing....then, I might just have a pair of Queens...though I'm not 100% positive because of the color.

Zebra Heliconian - familiar throughout Florida, identified by yellow stripes on long black wings and by fluttery, hovering flight.

White Peacock - common throughout Florida in wet habitats, including ditches, marsh edges. Flight extends late in day.

A Mangrove Buckeye - a Florida specialty, restricted to Black mangroves along coast. Slightly larger and more orange than the Common.

"Queen" - a Southern cousin of Monarch, rustier orange, with white spots on wings. Feeds on Florida milkweeds. Does not regularly migrate.

Giant Swallowtail photographed at Hobe Sound. This is a tropical species that ranges northward in the U.S. but is most common in Florida.

1 comment:

  1. Nice shots of the butterflies and love the bright color of the flowers.

    Larissa

    ReplyDelete