A couple of Doris Longwing Butterflies (Heliconius doris or Laparus doris) mating.
Heliconius comprises a colorful and widespread genus of brush-footed butterfly commonly known as longwings. This genus inhabits the southeastern USA south into the tropics.
Its been two years since I've seen any of these butterflies, likely due to the exceptional drought that the Florida peninsula has been experiencing. Suddenly they are appearing on the few wildflowers that are blooming despite the intense hot and dry conditions (like this lantana camara, above).
In general the larvae of Heliconius species prefer passion flower vine (Passifloraceae). We have a lot of passion flower that has survived as it has very deep roots and presumably is well adapted to the current extreme conditions. We did not plant any of the vine and it is thriving.
Above and Below: These are larvae of the Doris Longwing. This illustrates why it is so important to refrain from using pesticides whenever possible. Pesticides are not specific about which organisms they kill.
I saw my first Zebra heliconian or Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia) this week. They were once plentiful in our gardens. They are finally returning despite the fact the rains have yet to return.
Above: A Zebra Longwing on a lantana camara. I suspect that the butterflies are being aided in traveling up the Florida peninsula by the persistent southerly flow that has been present over the Florida peninsula the past weeks.
Below: A couple of larvae of the Zebra longwing. They look very similar to the larvae of the Doris longwing.
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