What’s Flying? - August

Florida summer days fall into a routine of crushing heat and humidity, alleviated by afternoon storms, followed by more heat and humidity. While humans often wither under the punishing weather, butterflies thrive on it. Our gardens are full of colorful fluttering wings all day long this August – stop by to check it out if you’re in the neighborhood! Here’s what you might see:

5 Most Common:

• Gulf Fritillary
• Zebra Longwing
• Monarch
• White Peacock
• Fiery Skipper

Other Common Species:

• Long Tailed Skipper
• Polydamas Swallowtail
• Blues (Cassius and Ceranus)
• Orange Barred Sulphur
• Cloudless Sulphur
• Spicebush Swallowtail
• Duskywings
• Phaon Crescent
• Tropical Checker Spot
• Barred Yellow
• Giant Swallowtail
• Sleepy Orange

Occasional Spottings:

• Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
• Black Swallowtail
• Silver-Spotted Skipper
• Gray Hairstreak
• Pipevine Swallowtail
• Palamedes Swallowtail

 
Notes from the Field:

• We’ve collected our first Brazilian Skipper (Calpodes ethlius) larvae from the gardens to rear in the lab. Like many other species in this unusual year, these seemed to show up about a month earlier than normal.
• We’ve had a bumper crop of Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) eggs this year, although most of them have been found on the non-native Aristolochea gigantea, which is toxic to these caterpillars. When we find clutches of the tiny round red eggs, we remove them to Aristolochia species they are able to eat safely.