Bronx Zoo Butterfly Photos

This is the best one besides the Queens. So beautiful! I also got to hold this one and it was wonderful. I look forward to going back someday. Planning for Summer of 2011.

I also hope to see a Luna moth. I've never seen one in person only photos. ♥

Bronx Zoo Butterflies: The Photos

This is the queen that landed on me. I have another photo of it. I'll post that later along with the others. Pretty no?

I wish I had gotten more though. XD

*Bonus Bronx Zoo Butterflies - The Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis

The Question Mark - Polygonia interrogationis

You see? Didn't I have a little rant on the scientific names of these things? Yup. Well I haven't had much or any ( Idk it depends on which butterfly I saw at the zoo ) experience with these so I'm just going to post the info.

However next time if the opportunity presents itself I will check the underside of the wings.

I hope that I can get to ID them correctly.

The Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) is a North American nymphalid butterfly. They live in wooded areas and city parks, or generally in areas which feature trees and free spaces. The adult butterfly has a wingspan of 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in).

Its flight period is from May to September. "The silver mark on the underside of the hindwing is broken into two parts, a curved line and a dot, creating a ?-shaped mark that gives the species its common name."

And now we're done. Go do extra research!!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Polydamas Swallowtail Battus philenor

The last in the series. Awww. Don't worry. I have plans on going back someday. Whether it'd be this year or the next I have plans to go back.

And then there's also the Natural History Museum's butterfly exhibit that's opening sometime in October. I would love to check this out too. Hopefully I get to see luna moths. And now for the entry itself. This was my first time seeing these.

So I have no other experience with these to relate to you. One was sitting high up on the mesh ceiling but I was able to make it out.

It was beautiful. As for info there doesn't seem to be much other then Wikipedia ( which contains a photo of a butterfly that's not a polydamas swallowtail ) and Bugguide. I'll do some more digging and see if I can find anything of interest.

Oh and then there's this which I thought was a nice little entry on the subspecies B. p. lucayus. There are a few subspecies of this one, one of which is extinct. :(

If I find anything else I'll definitely mention it.

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - White Peacock Anartia jatrophae

My only experience with these is at the Butterfly Exhibit. They're alot smaller then pictures imply. For years I thought they were medium sized like a Painted Lady. Nope. They're smaller then that. I think it's cute.

They're are other species in the genus Anartia and they look nothing like this one. They're just as pretty yes but you wouldn't think that they were in the same tribe ( Victorinini ) if it weren't for the wing shape being the same.

Mind boggling isn't it? What's even more mind boggling is Wikipedia:

The males of the species display a unique territorial behavior, in which they stake out a territory typically 15 meters in diameter that contains larval host plants.

They perch in this area and aggressively protect it from other insects and other male white peacocks.

After this statement it said "citation needed" What. The. Fuck.?! Why? Unless someone made it up I don't see why this needs citation.

However after doing a quick search to find anymore info and possibly confirmation on the above I found nothing. There doesn't seem to be anything on this butterfly other then Wikipedia.

So Idk......Where did they get the info from?

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Red Spotted-Purple Limenitis astyanax

I've had past experience with these at camp. I never got to hold one until I went to the Bronx Zoo. So that was a real treat. While researching these I was reminded that these were mind boggling little bastards ( no harm meant, quite the opposite ).

And why do you ask? Well this is why my dear friends. They're polytypic. What does it mean?

Easy this:

WARNING!: Trying to understand the following will result in a major headache.

The White Admiral or Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is a polytypic species of North American brush-footed butterfly, common throughout much of the eastern United States. L. a. astyanax has red spots on its underside and the top of the wings are notable for their iridescent blue markings. L. a. arthemis on the other hand has a large white band traversing both the forewings and hindwings.

The Red-spotted Purple is a mimic of the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) and is typically found in open woodlands and along forest edges.

Are you screaming from the pain yet? :P Yeah this is mind boggling because I don't have the slightest clue what polytypic means and Wiki doesn't give a decent definition.

I'll have to look for one and edit this post with updated info. I'm just guessing that this is another form of the White Admiral and they named it as subspecies. The Bronx Zoo has it listed as Limenitis astyanax instead of Limenitis a. astyanax.

They're making people think they're separate species!! Oh blasphemy! :P And they fooled me too because I had forgotten about all of this.

But it's fascinating even if thinking on it too much makes your head hurt.

Rest of info here.

Bonx Zoo Butterflies - The Comma Polygonia comma

I have had past experience with these at camp but that's about it. I remember a friend of mine catching one of these and thinking it was a monarch. ^_^

So cute right? =) Anyway other then that I haven't had much. The one I saw at the Bronx Zoo landed on one of the rocks. It stayed long enough for me to get a nice look at it's beautiful wings moving up and down before it took off again.

Too bad not long enough for me to get a photo but it was nice to see one again. Haven't seen any at Morning Side. Although if there's a chance I'll have to wait for next year.

Maybe.....we'll see. Well here's the info. As always do extra research!

This butterfly is seasonally variable. The upper side of the summer forms hind wings are all black whereas, the winter forms hind wings are reddish-orange. The underside of both forms is striped with dark and light brown. There is a silvery comma mark in the middle of the hindwing in both forms. Its wingspan is 4.5–6.4 cm (1.8–2.5 inches).

The Eastern Comma may be spotted in woods near rivers, ponds, marshes, swamps and other water. This butterfly seldom visits flowers, but rather feeds on sap, rotting fruit, salts and minerals from puddling, and dung.

The green eggs are laid singly or in stacks under host plants leaves and stems. The spiny larva varies in color from pale green to yellow to white and to even black. The solitary larva feeds on leaves at night. Older larvae construct daytime leaf shelters by pulling a single leaf together with silk. The chrysalis is brown and covered with spines. Winter form adults overwinter, some will also migrate south for the winter.

There's also one more thing I should mention. The Question Mark ( Polygonia interrogationis ) is also a possibility. As in it could've been a Question Mark that I saw instead of a Comma since they look so similar except for the difference in the underside of the hindwings obviously.

Because of that I'm including the Question Mark as a bonus in said series of mine. Finding a correct picture of one should be fun.

Oh before I forget:

The dark form of comma is frequently confused with the dark form of the Question Mark (P. interrogationis), but the two can readily be distinguished by the shape of the comma mark on the underside. The pale form is easily confused with the Satyr Comma (P. satyrus), which usually occurs north and west of the Eastern Comma's range.

Oh so now you tell me......smh. ^_^ I didn't get to look at it's hindwings hence the need for the bonus entry. I also wonder.......are there Exclamation Points and Periods?

You know what I mean like:

The Exclamation Point ( Polygonia exclamens )
The Period ( Polygonia periodis )
The Bracket ( Polygonia brackii )

*Giggle* I'd imagine that if this hasn't been thought of already someone would try and steal my idea and make hybrids or something.

*Giggle* I'm all for it! Just give credit to this blog please!

Excuse me and my horrible sense of humor. ^____________^

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Zebra Longwing Heliconius charithonia

I just learned quite a bit on these. I saw 2 of them at the Bronx Zoo. Plus I was reminded of things that I already knew on them.

IMO this is so far one of the most interesting entries in this series.

Heliconius charithonia, commonly known as the Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian, is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the Nymphalidae. It was declared the official butterfly for the state of Florida in the United States in 1996.

The caterpillar feeds on Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea), Corky-stemmed Passionflower (Passiflora suberosa), and Two-flower Passionflower (Passiflora biflora). The adults are unusual among butterflies in that they eat pollen as well as sip nectar.

This ability contributes to their longevity—3 months as an adult. Because of their relatively long lifespan and their activity throughout the day, this is a popular species with butterfly houses. Another unusual feature is that adults roost in groups of up to 70, and return to the same roost each evening.

My advise to other butterflies who want to live longer: EAT POLLEN!!

But of course more then likely that would be impossible since Zebra Longwings probably have a specially developed proboscis that allows them to do so.

Kinda like how the Vampire Moth ( Calyptra sp. ) has specially developed mouth parts to suck your blood........more on that later. Also males are attracted to female chrysalids just before they emerge. And they're not the only ones that do that either.

Apparently other Heliconids have this interesting behavior too. See here for a nice peak into the crazy sexual life of Heliconius charithonia!

And you didn't hear it from me! :P

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Orange-Barred Sulphur Phoebis philea

I think I only saw one of these. I don't remember....XD but they were pretty. I don't have any experience with these other then at the Bronx Zoo.

The one I saw was alot paler then the one in the photo though.

Bugguide
Wikipedia

Linkies today because of lack of detailed info. XD

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae

First off sorry. I'm gonna have to be lazy on this one and just give you the links to info for now as I'm very tired and can't think straight.

This little series of mine is going to go into the first 6 days of September!

Linkies:

Wikipedia
Bugguide

I will most likely edit this later don't know we'll see.

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Giant Swallowtail Papilio cresphontes

Haven't had much experience with these except at the Bronx Zoo. It was wonderful.

The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) is a swallowtail butterfly common in various parts of North America, particularly the south and east. With a wingspan of about 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in), it is the largest butterfly in Canada and the United States.

P. cresphontes is mostly seen in deciduous forest and citrus orchards where they are considered major pest. They fly between May and August where there are 2 broods in the North and 3 in the south. They can range from southern California, Arizona as deep south as Mexico north into southeastern Canada. Their main habitat is the mountain ranges of Jamaica.

As usual info from Wikipedia. Go do extra research please. Seriously Wikipedia tells lies sometimes and I don't want to have a "bad reputation" thanks. :P

I'm tired so that's why I didn't rant like I usually do. ^___^

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes

I don't think I've seen these other then at the Bronx Zoo Butterfly Exhibit ( BZBE for future references ). I might've seen one at camp a million years ago with what I thought for certain was a Spicebush Swallowtail ( Papilio troilus ) but now I know better.

That butterfly was a Pipevine Swallowtail ( Battus philenor ). However since I'm feeling kind of weird right now I'm going to wrap this one up. Sorry no rant today. ^.^ Next time.

Bugguide and Wikipedia once again provide info:

The common names for the caterpillars vary because they can be found on many important cultivated plants in the Carrot Family. Pick the host plant, add the word "worm", and you have another common name that has probably been used and published somewhere.

Larvae feed primarily on plants of the carrot family (Apiaceae = Umbelliferae), and some in the Rue Family (Rutaceae). Commonly found on Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Carrot, and Rue in gardens, and Queen-Anne's-Lace, Poison Hemlock, and Lovage in the wild. They will occasionally be found on Citrus trees. Adults take nectar and frequently visit moist ground.

Quoted in part from Bugguide here. It has very nice pics to go with it and to help with ID, whihc I think is wonderful because so many other Swallowtails resemble these and vice-versa.

Next is a bit from Wikipedia. Some stuff might be the same. I advise reaserch after to confirm what is posted below please. Thank you!

The reason being Wikipedia is sometimes incorrect on certain things.

The (Eastern) Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) also called the American Swallowtail or Parsnip Swallowtail, is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. It is the state butterfly of Oklahoma. There is an extremely similar-appearing species, Papilio joanae that occurs in the Ozark Mountains region, but it appears to be closely related to Papilio machaon, rather than polyxenes.

The Black Swallowtail has a wingspan of 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in). The upper surface of the wings is mostly black. On the inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. A male of this species has a yellow band near edge of wings; a female has row of yellow spots. The hindwing of the female has an iridescent blue band.

Rest of the info is here. Once again I advise you to do extra research. Thank you

Until next time!!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - BOTM Monarchs Danaus plexippus

Yes I know I've mentioned these numerous times but it was almost inevitable that I would do so again. And here is yet another entry on the Monarch.

I believe this to be the most informative one yet due to the fact that I found out some new info that's shocking. Surprisingly I can't believe I've never thought of this before. But there are subspecies of monarchs!

To put it simply: Holy cow! In a sense how could I've been so stupid? How could I not have thought of this? Any who on with the info!

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer.

The common name “Monarch” was first published in 1874 by Samuel H. Scudder because “it is one of the largest of our butterflies, and rules a vast domain”.

But the name may be in honour of King William III of England. The Monarch was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae of 1758. It was first placed in the genus Papilio. In 1780, Jan Krzysztof Kluk used the Monarch as the type species for a new genus; Danaus.

Since Latin grammar requires that the specific epithet and gender names agree it is unclear if the genus Danaus is drawn from Danaus (Greek Δαναός), a mythical king of Egypt and great-grandson of Zeus or is a masculinised version of Danaë (Greek Δανάη), Danaus’s great-great-granddaughter.

The species name, plexippus, refers to Plexippus, one of the 50 sons of Aegyptus, Danaus’ twin brother. In Homeric Greek δαναος πληξιππος also means "a Greek who beats (= lashes, drives and urges on) horses", i.e. "Greek charioteer".

Holy.......oh it get's better ( note this was edited since there's so much on them ). Remember I told you about the white form of the monarch some time ago? Well there's a nice bunch of info on them too. I'm very happy about that.

Why? Well it's my favorite form of the monarch. And I hope to see one someday. Although I think for that to happen I'd have to go to Hawaii. XD

Once again on with the info! These will get a separate entry too.

A color variation has been observed in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the United States as early as the late 1800s. Named nivosus by Lepidopterists, it is grayish white in all areas of the wings that are normally orange. Generally it is only about 1% or less of all monarchs, but has maintained populations as high as 10% on Oahu in Hawaii, possibly due to selective predation.

On Oahu, a white morph of the monarch has emerged. This is because of the introduction, in 1965 and 1966, of two bulbul species, Pycnonotus cafer and Pycnonotus jocosus. They are now the most common insectivore birds, and probably the only ones preying on insects as big as the monarch. Monarchs in Hawaii are known to have low cardiac glycoside levels, but the birds may also be tolerant for the chemical.

The two species hunt the larvae and some pupae from the branches and underside of leaves in milkweed bushes. The bulbuls also eat resting and ovipositing adults, but rarely flying ones. Because of its colour the white morph has a higher survival rate than the orange one.

This is either because of apostatic selection (i.e. the birds have learned the orange monarchs can be eaten), because of camouflage (the white morph matches the white pubescence of milkweed or the patches of light shining through foliage), or because the white morph does not fit the bird's search image of a typical monarch, and is thus avoided.

I wonder do the caterpillars look the same with this color variation? It's something to wonder about indeed. And as I've said they'll be getting a separate entry with the info provided above along with anything else I can find.

I'll also rant on these too. I won't do so here because I'm tired for one thing and the other I want to dedicate my rant to the special entry.

I'll probably interrupt this series of mine to post it. XD Rest of the info is here.

Enjoy! I sure did. I learned even more!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Julias Dryas iula

First off these butterflies are very variable. This I didn't know. I had thought that they were different species. But this wasn't the case. They were all in fact the same butterfly just very variable. Also according to Wikipedia they're over 15 subspecies known to science.

Wowzer. I bet you that these were once possibly variations of the butterfly. Hell the ones in the photo could be a subspecies for God's sake!

Why? Well let's see here:

1. Both male & female have this patterning.
2. It's common. As in it isn't something that's "unique".
3. Due to the above it could be classified as a subspecies

If of course it hasn't already. But for all I know it probably has.

Dryas iulia (often incorrectly spelled julia), commonly called the Julia Butterfly or Julia Heliconian, is a species of brush-footed butterfly. The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described.

Its wingspan ranges from 82 to 92 mm, and it is colored orange (brighter in male specimens) with black markings; this species is somewhat unpalatable to birds and belongs to the "orange" Batesian mimic complex.

This butterfly is a fast flier and frequents clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, such as lantanas (Lantana) and Shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris). Its caterpillars feeds on leaves of passion vines including Passiflora affinis and Yellow Passionflower (P. lutea) in Texas.

The species is popular in butterfly houses because it is long-lived and active throughout the day.

So there you go ( for now, will be edited for more info if found ).

Enjoy!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - The Queen Danaus gilippus

Well as a sort of tribute to all the butterflies I saw at the Bronx Zoo yesterday I'm doing an entry on all of the ones I was able to ID. Some of them have been mentioned before, yes but so what? ^.^ While on the search for info I came across some of my own in a sense.

Apparently there are a number of subspecies and species that are quite similar ( this I already knew ) to Danaus gilippus. IMO the subspecies could just be called variations of the butterfly because I honestly don't see that much of a noticeable difference.

But maybe I'm just blind? It's been known for me to overlook things that are staring me in the face I admit.....*blush* However this IMO deserves mention. Don't you think?

Now how that happened.....I haven't a clue.

Secondly a BIG taxonomic change apparently happened in the past. I was apparently stupid for thinking that when pretty much all of the Danaid (sp?) butterflies were discovered they were placed in the genus Danaus that was immediately thought up by whoever discovered them.

Pssh yeah right. No. Back way back when Your Majesty was known as Papilio gilippus. Oh Ho! cue the backlash. No honey there's proof. When I was searching for info on these I came across this site that mentions 2 of the many subspecies.

On the page that mentions Danaus gilippus berenice on the very bottom it clearly mentions this ( note I'm quoting just what's necessary ):

Genus Danaus Kluk, 1780

Zwierz. Hist. Nat. Pocz. Gospod. 4: 83-86, no. 145. Type-species: Papilio plexippus Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 471, no. 80, by designation of Hemming (1933), Entomol. 66(845): 222. I.C.Z.N. Opinion 278 placed this name on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology as name no. 699.

Danaus gilippus (Cramer, 1775)

Uitl. Kapellen 1(3): 41, pl. 26, figs. E ♀ D, F ♀ V; (8): 153 (index).

Original Combination: Pap[ilio]. Dan[aus] festiv[us]. Gilippus

Type Locality: “Rio de Janeyro...Brazil” “Rio Janéiro...Côte du Brasil”

Types: Type(s) probably lost.

Well let me tell you my jaw dropped when I read this. As you know ( or don't you? :P ) butterflies placed in the genus Papilio are Swallowtails.

Now where the big leap came from I have no idea. How did it get from the genus Papilio to the genus Danaus? And were they any other synonyms in between?

Gah! So many questions! >_<

Anyway I suppose I get on with the info then huh? I've done enough rambling for you. The first is bits and pieces from Wikipedia.

Once again Idk how reliable this is so I suggest you do your own research.

The Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae (the brush-foots) with a wingspan of 2.75–3.25" (70–88mm). It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in a black border. The male has a black androconial scent patch on its dorsal hindwings.

This species is possibly a close relative to the similarly-colored Soldier Butterfly (or "Tropic Queen"; Danaus eresimus); in any case, it is not close to the Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) as was long believed. There are about 10 recognized subspecies (Smith et al. 2005). As with other North American Danaus species, it is involved in Müllerian mimicry with the Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) where the two co-occur.

Fascinating I tell you. Honestly I need a really really good book on butterflies and their life cycles and any other interesting behavioral habits they have.

They are wonderful......beyond wonderful even. More info here.