Beverly Bowen
This is our beautiful state butterfly and we should be seeing it at Osprey Junction Trailhead. It is the Heliconius charithonia, commonly known as Zebra heliconian or Zebra longwing. It is easy to identify with its long narrow striped wings. One of the caterpillars’ food plants is Passiflora suberosa – the native corkystem – which is already growing on the property.
When the caterpillars are very young they’re orange and then they transition to this white color as they mature in the various instars. Note the first 3 legs of the caterpillar are different than the others. They are called true legs and are for holding and manipulating food. They carry over to the adult butterfly stage. Behind are 5 pairs of soft, fleshy legs called prolegs, used for locomotion. The feet are tipped with small hooks – they lift one pair at a time – not lifting the next pair until the first pair is down. They have small holes called spiracles in the sides of their bodies through which they take in air. Because they live so close to the ground they can easily drown, even in a puddle.
Continuous egg production requires a steady source of protein in addition to the sugar found in nectar. These butterflies actually gather pollen in their mouthparts & ingest nutrients gradually through a chemical action. Only longwing butterflies are known to do this. Therefore they can live longer than most butterflies – up to 6 months. Without ingesting pollen they would live up to one month like other butterflies.
Another unique thing, they return to the same roost communally night after night for weeks or months. There can be 6-60 individuals – and it is called a crèche. There is a theory that it may serve a social function – information sharing – educating the young.