Description: The
Goatweed Butterfly is relatively large, from 2 - 3". Its wing
silhouette is smooth as viewed from the side; not sawtoothed or
scalloped. Hindwing has blunt, narrow tail. Male bright orange
above, female duller orange with dusky margins and submarginal
yellow band. Both sexes are grey or brown below, mottled with brown
marks. The Florida Leafwing is similar, but has scalloped wing
outline.
Life Cycle: Eggs are laid on or near host plants:
goatweeds (Croton spp.) Caterpillar greenish gray with tiny bumps
and orange horns on head. Caterpillars fold goatweed leaves over and
tie them with silk for shelter. Adult butterflies overwinter. There
are 3 overlapping broods.
Habitat: Disturbed areas,
barnyards, woodlots, farm fields and meadows, swamps, pine hammocks
and prairie groves.
Range: Michigan through Nebraska and
Eastern Colorado, south and east to Gulf States, rarely in Florida.
Rarely west to Wyoming and Arizona.
The Goatweed Butterfly is
the only representative of a large conglomerate of tropical leafwing
butterflies to breed throughout the central plains, and actually
survive harsh winters as an adult. The Goatweed, like other leafwing
and anglewing butterflies, is an excellent leaf mimic. Almost as
good as the common
snout butterfly, but lacks the
petiole aspect of that camouflage. Andrew Willias, who took these
pictures in Texas, tells me these butterflies like to perch high in
the trees, which makes sense seeing as how they are hiding in plain
view. I've never seen this butterfly here, near Chicago. |
