Love Those Gulf Frits

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Happenings in the insect world

Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Published on: November 5, 2012

If you're passionate about Passiflora (passion flower vine), you're probably passionate about those Gulf Fritillary butterflies (Agraulis vanillae).

It's November with temperatures in the unseasonal mid-80s, and the butterflies are laying eggs like there's no tomorrow.

From eggs to larvae to chrysalises to adults--what a sight to see.

We watched a caterpillar munch leaves as an ant scooted down to investigate. Then a magnificent adult, its wings fresh and showing no visible signs of predatory bites, fluttered down right in front of us.

Butterfly expert Art Shapiro, distinguished professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, calls these butterflies a "dazzling bit of the New World Tropics."

Indeed they are. Orange never looked so good.

Ant investigates a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, spreads its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tags: Agraulis vanillae (83), Art Shapiro (278), butterflies (89), Gulf Fritillary (64)

Comments: 2

Comments:

by Theresa Bayaca

on December 14, 2013 at 9:38 AM

wonderful photos. is butterfly beneficial? I personally would not harm it or use pesticide, but some info re: impact on passiflora would be helpful. pictures of different life stages are great, but more complete info would also be helpful.

by Cris Barthel

on November 11, 2015 at 3:33 PM

I have had a passionflower vine for many years and it has always been able to support the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar population with ease, the trunks being as big around as my arms. This past spring, summer and now fall, however, there has been an explosion in the butterfly/caterpillar population and my vine is now almost completely leafless, yet the caterpillars are still there in great quantities.

Is there an explanation for this year's population explosion? It's been wondrous to watch all of the butterflies, but the vine is very nearly dead now and I wonder if it can be saved without harming the caterpillars? Even if I tried to start a new vine, they would surely wipe it out before it could grow to a sustainable size.