Florida Butterflies
On this Page - Cloudless sulphur, Julia Heliconian, Painted Lady, Barred Yellow, Ceraunus Blue, Sleepy Orange
Cloudless Sulphur - Phoebis sennae
Adult Cloudless sulphur butterflies feed from many different Florida flowers including the Geiger Tree and other Cordia species, Bougainvillea, Morning glory, and Cardinal flower.
Adult size is 2 1/4 to 3 1/4 inches, several flights per year in Florida.
Plants of the species Cassia are used as larval hosts. Males are yellow on the upper surface with no markings, female may be yellow or white. Both sexes with pink lined silver spots on lower surface of the hindwing, female has an irregular black border on the under side of her wings.
Julia Heliconian - Dryas iulia
Distinctive elongated forewing, males are bright orange above and below, hindwing has a narrow black border on the outer margin, female is a duller orange with more black markings above.
Wingspan is 3 1/4" - 3 5/8" ,single eggs are laid on new growth of Passion vines.
Found throughout the year in southern Florida, caterpillar host plants are members of the Passiflora family (Passion-vines). Adults feed on Lantana and Shepherd's needle and have a set route of nectar sources they visit each day. Julia Heliconian butterflies can be seen around thickets, hammocks and surrounding areas.
Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui
Common names include Thistle Butterfly and Cosmopolitan. Wingspan 2 -3 inches. Dorsal surface of wings with a broken pattern of orange, yellows and browns. Forewings are tipped with with a black patch containing several white spots and a white to yellowish bar at the leading edge of the forewing. Underside of hindwing has four eyespots.
Caterpillar host plant favorites include thistles and mallows. Adults like the nectar of thistles and milkweeds, they also visit button-bush and ironweed.
Painted lady butterflies can be seen the year-round in S. Florida and are found in a variety of habitats - Uplands, Sandhill and Flatwoods, as well as vacant lots and backyards.
Barred Yellow butterfly - Eurema daira
A.K.A. Barred Sulfur. Wingspan - 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches. A dry season and wet season form. Most notably, the wet season form is white on underside of hindwing, dry season (winter) form is dull red to tan with two black spots. Sexes also differ, South Florida individuals sometimes have white hindwings.
Habitat is open woods, dunes and grassy areas. Host plants are members of the pea family (Fabaceae).
Ceraunus Blue - Hemiargus ceraunus
Host plants are of the Fabaceae family and include all Indigofera spp., Partridge Pea, Rosary Pea and Sensitive Pea.
A small butterfly, the Ceraunus Blue is often overlooked, with a 3/4 to 1 inch wingspan they tend to blend in rather well with their surroundings.
Males are light blue with a narrow dark margin on the dorsal surface, females are brown with blue limited to the base of the wings. Underside is gray in males, females more brown. Both sexes have a row of post median dashes.
Ceraunus Blues in Florida have one black sub-marginal spot with orange-yellow border at the hind wing, in the southwest there are two spots.
Sleepy Orange - Eurema nicippe / Abaeis nicippe
Wingspan 1 1/2 - 2 inches orange in males to yellow-orange in females with irregular black wing margins; forewing with small black cell spot. Ventral hindwing seasonably variable; summer form (wet season) individuals yellow with darker pattern elements; winter form (dry season) individuals reddish-brown with darker pattern elements.
Host plants include Common Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) Coffeeweed/Sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia)