Gulf fritillary
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| Agraulis vanillaeis |
The Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillaeis, a striking, bright orange butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was formerly classified in a separate familey, the Heliconiidae or longwing butterflies, and like other longwings it does have long, rather narrow wings in comparison with other butterflies. It is not closely related to the true fritillaries. It is a medium to large butterfly, with a wingspan of from 6 to 9.5 cm. Its underwings are buff, with large silvery spots. It takes its name from the fact that migrating flights of the butterflies are sometimes seen over the Gulf of Mexico.
The caterpillar grows to a length of almost 4 cm. It is dark brown with lighter, reddish stripes, and has rows of branching black spines on its head and back. The chrysalis is almost 3 cm long; it is mottled brown and looks like a dry leaf.
The Gulf Fritillary's range extends from Argentina through Central America Mexico, and the West Indies to the southern United States, as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area on the west coast. It is occasionally found further north in the US.
The Gulf Fritillary is commonly seen in parks and gardens, as well as in open country. Its caterpillars feed on passionflowers such as Maypop and Running Pop, and the cultivation of these plant in gardens has enabled the butterfly to extend its range, for example into new areas of southern California.