Woodland Butterflies

Generally when people think of butterflies, they think of open sunny flower-filled meadows, without a tree in sight. While many butterflies do prefer open habitat, some butterflies have adapted to thrive in the woods and forests, and this is where you’re most likely to see them.

What draws a butterfly to the woods? Often it’s as simple as their host plants; butterflies that use trees for hosts will of course spend more time where those trees are prevalent. For other butterflies, their main food sources are the deciding factors. Not all butterflies prefer flower nectar as their main nutrition source – some would much rather dine on fresh or rotting fruit, tree sap, or even carrion (yes, really!), and these are more likely to be found in the woodlands. (Learn more about butterfly nutrition sources here.)

Here are a few butterflies more likely to be found in the woods than in open flower fields here in Central Florida – click the links to learn more about each species.

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)Named for its iridescent purple-blue wings and brilliant red markings, this brush-footed butterfly is a mimic of the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) and can be found throughout most of Florida’s woodlands. These forest-dwellers host on Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina) and other trees. They rarely nectar from flowers, preferring instead sap, rotting fruit, carrion, or dung. Rarely seen outside the shade of the woodlands, this gorgeous species is worth seeking out.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Another species that uses trees for host plants, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails lay their eggs on willow, magnolia, and wild cherry. They are one of Florida’s largest and most recognizable butterflies, although the black female form that flies here is often confused with the species it is mimicking – the Pipevine Swallowtail. Tiger Swallowtails do nectar from flowers, so they’re also fairly common in the garden when woodlands are nearby.

Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)
It’s difficult to say why we spot so many Zebra Longwings in the woods. It hosts on passionvines (Passiflora spp.), which grow happily in open sunny gardens. It feeds on both nectar and pollen (it’s one of a limited number of butterfly species able to externally digest pollen), also easily found in open gardens and fields. So what makes them so common in the woods? We’ve postulated that perhaps their dark color makes it desirable for them seek out shade to avoid overheating. They also roost in colonies at night, and woodlands provide plenty of room to do that. Really, we’re just guessing, but there’s no doubt that this species is more common in the Backwoods than the gardens, at least here at MOSI.

Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)
Though Zebra Swallowtails do nectar on flowers, they host on Pawpaw (Asimina spp), a tree or bush generally found in the forest. Their host plant is sparsely scattered in Florida, and they are seldom found far from it. If you have a large patch of Pawpaw, this will be a frequent visitor. If not, you may seldom see them. We have a few lone pawpaws on the grounds in wooded areas here at MOSI, but Zebra Swallowtail sightings are usually limited to only a few each year – making them all the more exciting when they do occur.

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
Where Zebra Swallowtails sightings are limited here at MOSI, Mourning Cloak sightings are almost unheard-of. This species is more common further north, though it is known to migrate to Central Florida in winter. A true butterfly of the woods, Mourning Cloaks host on trees like poplar and willow, and rely mainly on tree sap for nutrition, supplementing occasionally with rotting fruit. There’s almost no reason for it to leave the woods and enter the garden, since flower nectar holds very little interest for this species. When they are sighted in Central Florida, it’s always in the woods in the winter, before they head north for the year.