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bugdude
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COMMON Butterflies of Baja - Part 1
With warming weather and spring upon us, it seems useful to compile and post a list of butterflies that may be encountered in Baja California and
Baja California Sur, as well as generate interest and appreciation for these fascinating and beautiful insects. I have tried to keep the list succinct
posting only common species and a few others that will occur in Baja's remote areas. There will be a few cryptic species not listed or some
that I missed.
The remainder of the butterflies in other families will be posted as separate Topics with each species as a reply. This is Part 1 with other families
to follow on subsequent days.
Additional information and other species may be found at:
The Butterflies and Skippers of North America (Online Field Guide)
by Paul A. Opler, Ray E. Stanford, Harry Pavulaan, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (USGS), and the staff of Nearctica.com.
http://www.nearctica.com/butter/index.htm
Distribution Map Key: dark blue = confirmed records; light blue = possible occurrence, unconfirmed
"To make a wish come true, whisper it to a butterfly.
Upon these wings it will be taken to heaven and granted.
For they are the messengers of the Great Spirit."
--- Native American Legend
Part 1. Family: Papilionidae - Swallowtails
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
A man\'s reach should exceed his grasp - or what\'s a heaven for?
Robert Browning
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bugdude
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Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes Fabricius)
Wing span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/4 inches (8 - 11 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band
near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the
subspecies P. coloro.
Life history: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on leaves and flowers of the host, which are then eaten by
hatching larvae. Hibernates as a chrysalis.
Flight: One-2 flights from April-October in northern regions of range; 3 flights in southern regions.
Caterpillar hosts: Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the
citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles.
Habitat: A variety of open areas including fields, suburbs, marshes, deserts, and roadsides.
Range: Most of the eastern U.S., north into Quebec, west into s. Saskatchewan, Colorado and se. California; south to northern South America.
Subspecies "coloro" in desert Southwest (next image below).
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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bugdude
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Desert Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes coloro)
Subspecies "coloro" occurs in the open desert Southwest.
Some authors regard this as a full species.
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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bugdude
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Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon Lucas)
Wing span: 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches (6.4 - 9 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of wings creamy white with black stripes. Front wing is narrow and pointed; tail of hindwing is long, slender and
twisted.
Life history: Males perch and patrol for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest on
silken mats in shelters of curled leaves. Pupae hibernate.
Flight: One flight from April-July, many flights in southern California from March-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Trees and shrubs in the Rosaceae, Rhamnaceae and Betulaceae families including cherry (Prunus emarginata), coffee-berry (Rhamnus
californica), and ash (Alnus rubra).
Adult food: Flower nectar including California buckeye, yerba santa, and wallflower.
Habitat: Foothills, open woodlands, chaparral, streamsides.
Range: British Columbia east to Montana, south to New Mexico. California and Baja California.
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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bugdude
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Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon Lucas)
Wing span: 2 3/4 - 3 1/2 inches (7 - 9 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of hindwing has yellow-orange eyespot near tail with round black center that is not connected to hindwing margin. Anal
cell of hindwing is primarily yellow.
Life history: Males perch on hilltops and patrol for receptive females. Female lays eggs singly on host plant leaves and flowers. Young caterpillars
eat leaves while older ones eat flowers. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from April-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Many species in the parsley family (Apiaceae), and some in the citrus family (Rutaceae).
Adult food: Not reported.
Habitat: Bare hills, mountains, gardens, fields, vacant lots, and roadsides.
Range: From British Columbia southeast to North Dakota, south to s. California, Arizona, New Mexico; Baja California.
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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bugdude
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Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon Linnaeus)
Wing span: 2 1/2 - 3 inches (6.5 - 7.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of hindwing near tail has reddish-orange eyespot with black along lower border. Edge of hindwing and body are hairy.
Life history: Females lay eggs singly on the host plant, and newly-hatched caterpillars eat the leaves. Older caterpillars feeding on plants of the
parsley family prefer to eat the flowers. Chrysalids overwinter.
Flight: In north, one flight in late May-July; two flights in south.
Caterpillar hosts: Arctic sagebrush (Artemisia arctica) in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), and some species in the parsley family (Apiaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open hilltops, mountain meadows, tundra.
Range: Holarctic. In North America, south from Alaska to northern British Colombia, east across Canada. Southern British Colombia south through New
Mexico.
Remarks: Unconfirmed in Baja California
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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bugdude
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Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata Kirby)
Wing span: 3 1/2 - 5 inches (9 - 12.7 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of male forewing with narrow black stripes. Each hindwing has 2 tails.
Life history: Males patrol stream courses or city streets for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves of host plant. Caterpillars eat leaves
and rest on silken mats in shelters of curled leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight May to mid-August in North, most of year in South.
Caterpillar hosts: Leaves of ash (Fraxinus), hop tree (Ptelea), and chokecherry (Prunus).
Adult food: Nectar from thistles, milkweeds, California buckeye, lilac, and many others.
Habitat: Foothill slopes and canyons, moist valleys, streamsides, woodlands, parks, roadsides, suburbs, and cities.
Range: Western North America south from British Columbia, east to central Nebraska and central Texas, south through Mexico.
Remarks: This species is listed because the documented distributed (see map) borders Baja California, thus it is highly possible to occur here.
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bugdude
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Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus Lucas)
Wing span: 2 3/4 - 4 inches (7 - 10 cm).
Identification: Upperside of hindwing with upper-most marginal spot yellow or lacking. Underside of forewing with separate yellow spots forming
marginal band. Hindwing has narrow marginal spots and no orange tint except for 2 spots near end of inner margin.
Life history: Males patrol canyons or hilltops for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on surface of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on
leaves and rest on silken mats in shelters of curled leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from June-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Leaves of cottonwood and aspen (Populus), willows (Salix), wild cherry (Prunus), and ash (Fraxinus).
Adult food: Nectar from many flowers including thistles, abelia, California buckeye, zinnia, and yerba santa.
Habitat: Woodlands near rivers and streams, wooded suburbs, canyons, parks, roadsides, and oases.
Range: Western North America from British Columbia south to southern New Mexico and Baja California.
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bugdude
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Thoas Swallowtail (Papilio thoas Swainson)
Wing span: 4 1/8 - 5 inches (10.5 - 12.8 cm).
Identification: Upperside of forewing has diagonal yellow band of square spots in a neat row.
Life history: Caterpillars resemble bird droppings and rest exposed on leaves.
Flight: Year-round in the tropics, April-July in south Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus spp., prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata);
six species in the Piperaceae family.
Adult food: Flower nectar, including lantana, cesalpina, and bougainvilla.
Habitat: Mid-elevation tropical forests and lowland edges.
Range: Southern Texas south to Brazil.
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bugdude
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Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra Reakirt)
Wing span: 2 1/2 - 3 inches (6.2 - 7.2 cm).
Identification: Abdomen is all black, or black with a yellow dash on the side of the rear. Wings are mostly black with pale yellow markings. Tails are
very short on most subspecies.
Life history: Males watch from rocky areas below tops of hills or mesas for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on top of host plant leaves or
on flowers. Caterpillars feed on the edges of leaves and hide at the base of plants. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight, with occasional late-flying individuals of desert populations, March-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Aromatic herbs of the parsley family (Apiaceae) growing among rocks.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Mountains, desert mountains, and canyons.
Range: Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico north to South Dakota, west to Washington.
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bugdude
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Ornythion Swallowtail (Papilio ornythion Boisduval)
Wing span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/2 inches (8.3 - 11.5 cm).
Identification: Upper forewing spots are yellow-white; marginal row of spots is close to outer edge of wing. Tails are wide and all black. Female has
2 forms: one resembles the male and one is mostly black with a marginal row of large gray-green spots on upperside of hindwing.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: Probably 2 from April-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Leaves of citrus trees (Rutaceae family).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Citrus groves and gardens.
Range: Mexico and Guatemala. Occasional in central and south Texas and New Mexico; rare in southern Arizona.
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bugdude
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Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes Cramer)
Wing span: 4 - 6 1/4 inches (10.2 - 16 cm).
Identification: Forewing with diagonal band of yellow spots. Tails are edged with black and filled with yellow.
Life history: Males patrol for receptive females. Females lay single eggs on host leaves and twigs. Caterpillars resemble bird droppings and eat
leaves and young shoots. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two in the north from May-September; all year in Florida and the Deep South.
Caterpillar hosts: Trees and herbs of the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), and hop tree
(Ptelea trifoliata).
Adult food: Nectar from lantana, azalea, bougainvilla, bouncing Bet, dame's rocket, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed.
Habitat: Many locales including rocky and sandy hillsides near streams or gullies in the north; pine flats, towns, and citrus groves in the south.
Range: Throughout eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains, south through the desert Southwest to South America.
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bugdude
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Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor [Linnaeus])
Wing span: 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of hindwing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hindwing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in
iridescent blue field.
Life history: Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves.
Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis.
Flight: In the East and California, adults fly primarily in late spring and summer, is commoner in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest.
Where lack of freezing temperatures permit, adults may fly continuously. In lowland tropical Mexico they may be found in any month.
Caterpillar hosts: Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others.
Adult food: Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas,
dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.
Habitat: A wide variety of open habitats, open woodland, and woodland edges.
Range: Tropical lowlands south to southern Mexico.
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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Gypsy Jan
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Wow!
Fascinating and fabulous.
I love the post and I really appreciate all the time you put into it.
I believe that I have seen at least most, if not all of your species during the season. I wish that they would become more prolific.
Please advise as to making a garden more butterfly friendly.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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bugdude
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Thank you for your positive comments. There is a plethora of information on the internet regarding "butterfly gardening." Here are a few suggestions I
found useful and have incorporated into my garden here in southern Arizona:
1. Good Placement.
Butterflies are cold blooded creatures and need the sun to warm their wings. For this reason, they prefer a sunny site that is protected from the
wind. Large plants and shrubs around the perimeter of a garden will help to provide this protection. A large flat rock in a garden provides a warm
spot for basking. They may frequently be seen just sitting on the rock, with their wings spread, soaking up the sun's rays.
2. Nectar Source.
Nectar is a sugar-rich substance that is required for energy used in flight. Therefore butterfly attracting plants include those that are sun-loving
and produce nectar. It is recommended that you plant in groups of one color rather than single plants of differing colors. Select a variety of nectar
producing plants to provide flowers in bloom throughout the season. It is especially important to have flowers in mid to late summer, when most
butterflies are active. Annuals bloom continuously through the season and are always a good choice. They seem to prefer pink, purple, or white flowers
and single flowers rather than double blooms. Supplementary nectar may be provided through small bits of fruit, such as apples, bananas, or citrus.
3. Butterfly Puddles
Butterflies also require a water supply. For this reason, it is a good idea to provide a "butterfly puddle". Butterflies will congregate at the
puddle and drink the standing water to obtain necessary minerals. A container filled with water and then buried in the dirt may do the trick. Or you
may prefer to just make shallow impressions in the soil and allow them to fill following a rain or watering session.
4. Reduce the Use of Pesticides
It only makes sense that if you wish to draw these creatures to your home, you must limit your use of pesticides. It is best to avoid the use of broad
spectrum pesticides. Instead use spot treatments on the troubled areas. Also, consider the use of the insecticidal soaps over some of the chemical
options.
Plants that are known to attract butterflies include -
Shrubs: Butterfly Bush,Buttonbush,Blueberries,Lilacs.
Perennials: Asters, Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susans, Yarrow, Daylilies, Goldenrod, Daisies, Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia).
Annuals: Cosmos, Petunias, Zinnias, Marigolds, Nicotiana, Pansies.
http://colleenscorner.com/Bfly.html
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Bedman
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Great Post BugDude. Thanks for taking the time to organize it so well. Looking forward to more.
Bedman
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Mike Humfreville
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In Bahia de Los Angeles there is a small hotel with an attached indoor/outdoor restaurant, Costa del Sol. We sit on the patio in the spring, watching
the cars and trucks from the tiny village drive by, their drivers working their own agenda. Outdoors the sun is broken by the shade cast from several
palapas. We often stop there to have soup or a beer or share conversation.
Sitting in the shade there, a while back. I noticed a slight movement and turned in time to see a butterfly. Its wingspan was maybe two inches; it
was orange-yellow in color and soon I noticed many others similar to the first. They were flitting around the bright magenta bougainvillea. The twin
and opposing colors worked well together, complimented each other as the winged beasts flew around the patio looking for what I assumed was nectar.
It was difficult for me to imagine that bougainvilleas had much food that would delight a butterfly, but there they were, obviously attracted to
something.
A breeze came up. I wondered how the creatures would deal with the movement of air as they have almost no mass themselves. They were just fine, a
little out of control at times but always able to reach their apparent objective.
I continued to watch the butterflies, the crows, buzzards, gulls and pelicans that share the playas of the bay. Having learned to deal with the
influences in their environment had allowed them to accept things they had no influence over, go on, and don?t sweat the small stuff.
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Neal Johns
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Great posts. We need more like this on any Baja critters.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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tehag
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BFlies
Cool, thanks.
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BOLABOUND
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Mood: wish I was lost in deep BAJA
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I remember a couple weeks ago I was at k31 in Rosarito during the strong
santa ana winds that blow from the east;
somewhat warm, I saw all kinds of butterflys coming back from the ocean,
I guess they were all blow out to see for miles?
A long with ladybugs and some kind of insects.
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