Florida Butterfly Photos - Hairstreak and Blues

by Will Cook

Here's a selection of Lepidoptera images from a trip to south Florida, June 22-29, 2010. All photos were taken using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50, most with the addition of a Sony VCL-M3358 close-up lens.

Papilionidae and Pieridae | Lycaenidae | Nymphalidae | Hesperiidae | Moths

Lycaenidae - Hairstreak and Blues

Atala (Eumaeus atala)
Tree Tops Park, Davie, Broward Co., FL 6/22/2010

The Atala is one of Florida's most distinctive and sought-after butterflies. These large, slow-moving hairstreaks are so tame that they don't flinch when you touch them. It seems that they know they're too toxic to eat, as their warning colors advertise!


	Atala (Eumaeus atala) Tree Tops Park, Davie, Broward Co., FL 6/22/2010 Atala caterpillars on Coontie (Zamia pumila). Many more photos of Atala.
	Fulvous Hairstreak (Electrostrymon angelia) Castellow Hammock, near Homestead, Miami-Dade Co., FL 6/24/2010.
	Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Miami-Dade Co., FL 6/23/2010.
	Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) Key West, Monroe Co., FL 6/27/2010.
	Martial Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon martialis) Bahia Honda State Park, Monroe Co., FL 6/26/2010. Below, Martial is like a Gray Hairstreak, which is common in the same habitat, but with broader white stripes. When the butterfly flies or rubs its wings, though, you can get a glimpse of a beautiful pale blue color on the upperside of the hindwings, lacking in Gray.
	Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon acis) Navy Wells near Florida City, Miami-Dade Co., FL 6/23/10 Bartram's is a distinctive and rare hairstreak of south Florida. Bartram's is like Martial, but with two white dots on the hindwing and lovely pale blue fringe when fresh. Bartram's is found in dry, sandy areas where its host plant, the Pineland or Narrow-leafed Croton (Croton linearis), grows.
	Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon istapa) Key West, Monroe Co., FL 6/27/2010.
	Cassius Blue (Leptotes cassius) Bahia Honda State Park, Monroe Co., FL 6/26/2010.
	Eastern Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium pseudofea) Big Pine Key, Monroe Co., FL 6/26/2010. These tiny butterflies, perhaps the second smallest in the world, show an amazing pattern, when you stop to look at them closely. An overall rich brown with white lines and circles and "jewels" along the trailing edge of the hindwing. More photos of Eastern Pygmy-Blue.
	Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus) Big Pine Key, Monroe Co., FL 6/26/2010.

Papilionidae and Pieridae | Lycaenidae | Nymphalidae | Hesperiidae | Moths

Comments? Questions? E-mail me at cwcook@duke.edu