Portrait of an Atala Butterfly
by terranovabay
A newly emerged Atala butterfly rests on a Coontie plant before heading out into the world.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Tag: caterpillar
Red Alert 2
by terranovabay
Like its caterpillar form, the adult Atala is also potentially toxic and warns would be predators of this fact by it bright orange abdomen and red wing markings.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Blue Highlights
by terranovabay
A newly emerged Atala butterfly by the husk of its chrysalis. The Atala is waiting for its once compacted wings to firm up to support flight.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Emergence
by terranovabay
An Atala butterfly begins to emerge from its chrysalis attached to a leaf of the Coontie plant. The Coontie plant is all things to the Atala. A place to lay its eggs, a grocery store for the caterpillars to consume its leaves, a quiet place to form a chrysalis to carry out metamorphosis. Then a place to return to later in life to lay eggs to start the process all over again.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Red Alert!
by terranovabay
The Atala caterpillar warns potential predators of its toxicity by its garish red and yellow coloration. The Coontie plant, the Atala’s larval host plant, is toxic but the Atala thrives on its leaves and uses its deadly attributes to its own advantage for survival.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Sunday Meal
by terranovabay
A big, fat caterpillar eats its way through the milkweed as it builds strength for the metamorphosis to a Monarch butterfly. In the Ken Gonyo Pollinator Garden at Audubon House in the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Danaus plexippus, Milk Weed, Monarch, ORCA, Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area
Hungry Horde
by terranovabay
Newly hatched Atala caterpillars start their ravenous journey to eat their way through the Coontie plants leading to their metamorphosis to butterflies.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Coontie
Spiked Vegetarian
by terranovabay
Zebra Longwing caterpillars endlessly feeding on their larval host plant, the Passionflower Vine.
Categories: Nature • Tags: caterpillar, Heliconius charithonia, passionflower vine, Zebra Longwing
Caterpillar Crisis
by terranovabay
A horde of Zebra Longwing larvae come together on the few leaves left on the passionflower vine they have mostly consumed. Once these leaves are gone these caterpillars will have to come up with a new plan for a meal. It looks like they may have some traveling in their future.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Heliconius charithonia, ORCA, Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, passionflower vine, Zebra Longwing
Camo Chrysalis
by terranovabay
The Zebra Longwing caterpillar from a previous post has formed it chrysalis. A marvel of evolutionary camouflage giving the appearance of a dead leaf making for a safe place to undergo metamorphosis while fooling potential predators with its uninvolving appearance.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Heliconius charithonia, Zebra Longwing
