Viceroy Butterfly

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Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Papilionoidea
Family : Nymphalidae
Subfamily : Limenitidinae
Genus : Limenitis 
Species:  archippus 

Length : 2.5-3.5in (6.5-9cm) wingspan

IUCN Status : Not listed

I mentioned mimicry briefly in my Butterfly photo post, so I figured I would expand upon it a little more with today's animal. There are actually two ways that butterflies mimic other butterfly species. The first of these is known as Batesian mimicry, and this is when a non-toxic species looks like a toxic species in order to stay safe. The second type, Muellerian mimicry, is when two equally toxic species mimic each other, benefiting one another. The Viceroy Butterfly is a Muellerian mimic, and if you couldn't already tell, their partner in crime is the Monarch Butterfly.

Viceroys and Monarchs looks incredibly similar, with the small difference being a black bar that runs horizontally across the Viceroy's lower wings. The two species are not closely related, and belong to different subfamilies. However, both are toxic when consumed, so the similar coloration keeps predators from eating both of them.

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Viceroys and Monarchs share a great deal of their range. They are both found through North America, inhabiting fields, swamps, and marshes. They often live near Willow, Cottenwood, and Poplar trees, as these are where they lay their eggs. Caterpillars eat the leaves of these trees upon hatching, and their coloration camouflages them to look like bird droppings. Adult Viceroy Butterflies feed off of nectar, and have modified mouth parts that can reach down into plans in order to feed.

Viceroy Butterflies are the state Butterfly of Kentucky.

Camera Critters : Butterflies All Around

A few weeks back I made my way over to the Milwaukee Public Museum, where they have a butterfly wing that you can stroll through. There are a handful of species, but I unfortunately neglected to figure out what was what, so now I have a whole mess of random butterfly pictures. I might try and sort them at some point, but one of the big things they emphasized at the exhibit was that many butterfly species mimic other species as a defense mechanism, so I might just be out of luck! Gave me an excuse to use some close-up settings on the camera though!

Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail Butterflies (Papilio polyxenes) are found in many regions of both North and South America, and have a handful of subspecies that reflect different areas. They are an abundant, secure species within low numbers found only on the fringes of the range. Black Swallowtails have a wingspan of between three and four inches.

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These Butterflies get their name from their predominantly black body which is outlined with yellow spots or bands. Males and females can be distinguished based upon the prominence of the yellow. Females have a more spotted yellow and a more obvious band of blue across their lower wings. It is believed that the coloration of Black Swallowtails is intended to mimic that of Pipevine Swallowtail, which is bad tasting.

Larvae of the species are banded black and white with yellow spots. The eggs are typically laid on plants belonging to the Apiaceae plant family, which are consumed by the larvae upon hatching. Adults feed on nectar and can be attracted to your garden by growing the types of plants that they lay their eggs on, including dill, carrots, and Queen Anne's Lace.

Caterpillars have a rather interesting defense mechanism. They have an organ on their necks known as an Osmeterium, which raises when threatened and produces and extremely distasteful odor.

Large Blue Butterfly

Large Blue Butterfly is both a common name and a description for Phengaris arion (sometimes also called Maculinea arion). It is a species of butterfly that lives in 37 countries throughout continental Europe, and was reintroduced to Southern England after going extinct there in 1979 due to habitat loss. They  are found in warm, dry locations which are often also home to Thyme and Marjoram, plants that are important to the reproductive process. Large Blue Butterflies have wingspans of about 2in, and are blue with black spots.

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Large Blue Butterflies have an interesting life-cycle. Eggs are laid on the aforementioned Thyme or Marjoram plants and when they hatch, the caterpillars will consume the plant that they hatched upon, molting 3 times. After the third molt, the still-small caterpillars drop to the ground where they attract Myrmica sabuleti red ants with a sweet secretion from their body. The ant will feed on the secretion, and after it is finished the caterpillar will inflate the skin behind its head. The ant mistakes the caterpillar for one of its own larvae, and carries it back to the nest, where the caterpillar then proceeds to eat all of the ant larvae, hibernate, and eventually pupate.

Adult Large Blue Butterflies emerge in June and have sadly short lives. While a caterpillar may live 9 months or longer, adults typically only hand on for a few weeks at the very most. This is just long enough for them to find a mate and reproduce.

Large Blue Butterflies are listed as Near Threatened.

Giant Swallowtail

Papilio cresphontes is the largest butterfly species in North America. They can be found throughout the Southern United States and Mexico, and in spattered areas across the Eastern and Central United States.

Image from Florida HTR

Giant Swallowtails are pretty easy to pick out. Not only are they large, with wingspans of up to 6 inches, but they have some pretty interesting coloration. The wings of the adults are black, but a horizontal band of yellow crosses from wing to wing, with additional mirrored yellow patterns found below, and possibly above, this band. Red marking are also sometimes found in the tail. Caterpillars are brown with white splotches, which camouflages them to look a lot like bird droppings. They are called "Orangedogs" due to an orange gland that acts as a further defense mechanism by secreting a toxin.

Giant Swallowtails feed off the nectar of a variety of plants, including Azaleas and Goldenrods. The caterpillars feed off of Citrus trees, and are considered to be pests by growers of Sweet Oranges. Giant Swallowtails prefer to lay their eggs on Citrus plants, and they do so by laying single eggs on various trees. The larvae eventually hatch, and then go through five phases before they form a chrysalis.

Monarch Butterfly

Images from Wikimedia Commons

If you live in the continental United States, you've probably encountered a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Their range literally covers the country and a large chunk of the rest of the continent as well. They've also made their way over to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand due to lucky wind systems and cross oceanic shipping.

The Monarch was one of the species initially classified by Linneaus in 1758's Systema Naturae, and its scientific name comes strait out of mythology. In short, Danaus was a king and had 50 daughters, while his brother, Aegyptus, had 50 sons. Aegyptus wanted the 50 sons to marry the 50 daughters but Danaus refuses until he gets forced into organizing a mass wedding. He then has his daughters kill their husbands, and all but one does. The remaining son gets revenge on Danaus, and he and the daughter become king and queen to a dynasty. See where all this royalty stuff comes from? (Oh, and the species name, plexippus, comes from a name of one of the sons) It has also been speculated that the "Monarch" name is to honor King William III of England (William the Orange in his Dutch Homeland). This is interesting because the butterfly was not called "Monarch" until 1874, while William III ruled 1689-1702, nearly two hundred years earlier.

Wintering Monarchs

Anyway, mythology/history lesson aside, the Monarch butterfly is of particular interest to many due to their migration. Butterflies west of the Rockies travel to the California coast in order to survive the winter. But Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains can travel upwards of 3,000 miles in order to arrive at congregation spots in Mexico. The generation that roosts all winter then lays its eggs on the return journey. It can take multiple generations to make the trip back to the original northern homeland, while it takes only one generation to make it to Mexico. Scientists and amateurs alike track and study these migrations each year.

And last but not least, Monarch Butterflys are poisonous. And where do they get that toxicity from? Their diets of course! They consume milkweed which gives them high concentrations of cardenolide, which is harmful to most predators.