We’ve enjoyed seeing the many zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonia ) butterflies this summer. Although this is the Florida state butterfly I haven’t had many in my garden before this year. They visit the firebush and other flowers for the nectar and pollen, but they tend to only lay eggs on the purple passionflower, Passiflora incarnata L.; corkystem passionflower, Passiflora suberosa L.; yellow passionflowerPassiflora lutea L.; and several other passionflower vines. I don’t have any passionflowers in the garden, but someone in the neighborhood must have them. I don’t see any in the front yards, but there must be passionflowers tucked away in a backyard nearby. I may have to add some to my garden to ensure that we continue to have these beautiful butterflies flitting around the garden.
Zebra Longwing Butterfly from Rhonda Carrier on Vimeo.
Read Zebra Longwing on IFAS for additional information
Filed under: Backyard wildlife, Ecology Tagged: beautiful butterflies, firebush, Florida state butterfly, Heliconius charitonia, nectar, passionflower, passionflowers, state butterfly, zebra longwing, zebra longwing butterfly
