Sara Longwing Butterfly – Heliconius sara
Captive live butterflies photographed at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago
The longwing butterflies have unusually long lifespans and high fecundity rates, which largely result from their augmented diet.
Instead of surviving on food stores from the larval stage or solely sipping flower nectar, adult longwing butterflies are avid pollen eaters.
These traits make them eminently suitable for butterfly farming and butterfly gardening.
Adult Longwings may live for several months, much longer than most butterflies.
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Tree Encyclopedia / North American Insects & Spiders
Online since 2002
