Passion Butterfly

by Kathy White

Title

Passion Butterfly

Artist

Kathy White

Medium

Photograph - Photography--greeting Cards Or Notes Are Cheaper By The Dozen!

Description

I love butterflies so much, but sadly, I don't have as much patience as my husband, David, in getting good butterfly shots. He stayed with this one, as it quickly flitted from one wildflower to another, until he got some good ones.
This butterfly is beautiful and so colorful.
The Gulf Fritillary or Passion Butterfly, (Agraulis vanillae) is a bright orange butterfly of the family Nymphalidae and subfamily Heliconiinae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae are "longwing butterflies", which have long, narrow wings compared to other butterflies. Gulf fritillary is the only member of genus Agraulis. Agraulis vanillae is most commonly found in the southern areas of the United States, specifically in many regions of Florida and Texas.
Gulf fritillaries have a chemical defense mechanism in which they release odorous chemicals in response to predator sightings. As a result, common predators learn to avoid this species.
The underside of the wings is brown and speckled with silvery white dots. In contrast, the top surface layer of the wings is deep orange in color with black streaks running across. This butterfly is a medium sized butterfly and very common in butterfly gardens, most likely near passionflowers. These passionflower, or vine plants are suitable host plants as they provide a good structure for larval host habitats which enables young populations of gulf fritillaries to be sufficiently nurtured and protected. The female butterflies lay their eggs on or near the host plant, the passionflowers.

Uploaded

March 5th, 2019

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