Daylight Dresses: The Gulf Fritillary's Masquerade

 Have you ever seen someone who looked like royalty? I know someone who does!

(Gulf Fritillary having a snack) - by me            (Monarch in my Sister's Hands) - by Me

    For people in the Northern part of the United States, the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a common sight to see, but in the South East the Gulf Fritillary (Dione Vanillae) is the more common butterfly fluttering about. These orange and black butterflies are part of the Dione genus which has only three other members. These butterflies and their family members are known for being found around the southern United States to South America. Something interesting to note is that despite it being called a Fritillary, they actually aren't related to the other species of Fritillaries, as true Fritillaries are part of the Speyeria family. 

    The Gulf Fritillary can be distinguished by their orange and black wings and the three silver spotted markings along the top of their wings. They're also around 2.5 to 3 inches in wingspan. When their wings are closed, the outside is a soft coffee brown with tons of larger silver spots. Monarch Butterflies in contrast are a much deeper orange and black coloring with white spots adorning the edges of their wings. The outside of their wings are the exact same color and pattern as well. Their wingspans can also grow to 3.5 to 4 inches. The biggest difference between the two has to be at their humble beginnings.

(Thorny Little Caterpillar) - by Me

    The Gulf Fritillary caterpillar has an punk phase that not many other insects, or even my middle school friend group could compete with. Other than showing that they're a really big fan of Green Day, their spikes are a massive blaring warning to birds that screams out "DONT EAT ME, I WILL POISON YOU." They can also let off a very strong smell to deter them as well. This style of mimicry, similar to Eye-Spot Mimicry that we covered last week, is simply letting predators know not to eat them, rather than scaring them into thinking they're the predator. These caterpillars are still lying however, as they aren't truly poisonous. 

    These caterpillars lives are as eventful as any other caterpillar though. Sadly they don't have money to afford those All Time Low tickets. They spend most of their lives eating exclusively on the leaves and vines of the Passionflower. Populations of Passionflower and the Gulf Fritillary are so close together that another name for these butterflies is the Passion Butterfly. Once these caterpillars grow enough, they'll build their chrysalis which looks like a brown leaf in the shape of a lightning bolt. After that, they'll emerge as butterflies in about 10-12 days! After which they spend their lives drinking nectar, making them amazing pollinators.

    The Gulf Fritillary is a butterfly that plays pretend for a living. From the beginning to the end, they are mistaken for a lot of different things yet their beauty is still so unique. No matter what they look like, they're still amazing insects for the environment, eating the invasive Passionflower when they're young and helping pollinate the environment as adults. I hope whenever you see a Gulf Fritillary that you're not only able to distinguish them between their other butterfly cousins, but also appreciate them for their jobs in the environment and their beauty. We love you, Gulf Fritillary, you're still the Queen of Punk in our eyes.

P.s. If I had a nickel for every picture I had of my sister holding a butterfly, I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's interesting both showed up in this blog post.

(Gulf Fritillary in my sister's hand) - by Me

Citations:

Fritillary: A pretty butterfly and a good pollinator. US Forest Service. (n.d.). https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/fritillary

Genus dione. iNaturalist. (n.d.). https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/130349-Dione 

Gulf fritillary butterfly. Gardenia. (n.d.). https://www.gardenia.net/guide/gulf-fritillary

Life cycle of the Gulf Fritillary butterfly. VP Shoots - Pet Photography, Family Photography. (n.d.). https://www.vpshoots.com/blog/2017/9/life-cycle-of-the-gulf-fritillary-butterfly#