Buckeye, Common

  • Family name: Nymphalidae/Brush-Footed butterflies
  • General description: Forewing brown with two orange cell bars and a white subapical band enclosing a single large eyespot; hindwing brown with to large eyespots and an orange submarginal band. Ventral hindwing seasonally variable; summer form (wet season) individuals light brown with a darker postmedian band including several small dark spots; winter form (dry season) individuals reddish-brown with less conspicuous pattern elements.
  • Field Marks: forewing brown with two orange cell bars and a white band enclosing a single large eyespot; hindwing brown with two large eyespots and a orange submarginal band. Ventral hindwing mottled brown to red.
  • Sexes: Appear similar
  • Wingspan: 32-60 mm
  • Life Cycle: Egg: green, laid singly on host leaves Mature larva: black with white stripes marked with orange and numerous black branched spines Chrysalis: light brown with darker markings
  • Number of Generations: 3 or more per year
  • Flight Season: All year
  • Abundance: Common
  • Habitat: Forest margins, beaches, pastures, wet meadows, old fields, disturbed sites, roadsides, gardens
  • Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington
  • Larval Host Plants: Plantain (Plantago spp.), False Foxglove (Agalinis fasciculata), Florida Toadflax (Linaria floridana), Blueheart (Buchnera americana), Twinflower (Dyschoriste oblongifolia), Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)
  • Similar Species: No similar species
  • Additional Information: Migratory; adults overwinter in reproductive diapause. Range is limited in Colorado, Nevada and Oregon.

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