Friday, February 20, 2015

Florida Butterflies

I had a nice winter break in Florida.  It was often windy, and mostly in the 60s while I was there, so I didn't see a lot of butterflies, but I was quite happy to see the ones that I did!  Here are the varieties that I was lucky enough to spot:
  1. Cassius Blue
  2. Fiery Skipper
  3. Gulf Fritillary 
  4. Monarch
  5. Orange-Barred Sulphur
  6. Red Admiral
  7. Sachem
  8. White Peacock (my most common species)
  9. Zebra Longwing

Cassius Blue (ventral view)
Unfortunately, I never witnessed the beautiful blue dorsal position.

Fiery Skipper (dorsal view)

Fiery Skipper (ventral view) (not 100% sure of this one)
I've changed my mind and now think this one is a Sachem.

Gulf Fritillary (ventral view)

Gulf Fritillary (dorsal view)

Monarch (dorsal view; male)

Monarch (ventral view)

Orange-Barred Sulphur

again

Red Admiral

White Peacock

Zebra Longwing (dorsal view)

Zebra Longwing (ventral view)


In addition to the above butterflies found in the "wild", I had a chance to see these other native Florida species inside a screened enclosure at the botanic garden:

 Common Buckeye

Great Southern White


Julia butterfly (female)

Julia butterfly (male)

Pipevine Swallowtail

 Queen butterfly (male)

Queen butterfly (ventral view)







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3 comments:

  1. Nick MorganFebruary 20, 2015 at 4:58 PM

    Wow, fantastic. We are planning to visit Florida next July as a special family holiday. My son will have finished at high school then and it could be the last holiday he will want to spend with us. He dreams of going to America to see the cars and American way of life. My daughter is also keen to visit America. We all like hot holiday destinations and of course the butterflies are a big draw for me. I imagine they will be quite different in July and I imagine it will be very hot then. A lot of planning to do before then and a lot of money to save up!

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    Replies
    1. DawnFebruary 20, 2015 at 5:17 PM

      Definitely different in July, but probably a whole lot better for butterflies! My husband went to the car show in Naples while we were down there. Bet your son would have loved that! I would have loved to have seen more, but the conditions just weren't right for it.

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    2. Nick MorganFebruary 21, 2015 at 4:04 AM

      It would be such a thrill to see the lovely tropical butterflies there. Some are the same as those I saw in St Lucia, but there are a whole lot more! A car show would suit me and my son! I need to do a lot of research about where to go.

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