Observation date: June 03, 2016
Submitted by: SukeyBlueSkinsi...
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: This was the third day in a row I had seen this caterpillar. It's July in North Florida and the heat is intense. The host plant it is on is the Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate) and in the same area I have Lantana, Porter Weed and patches of Shepherds’ Needle (Biden’s alba), growing along a concrete barrier behind them (neighbor's yard). This area has times of bright sunlight as well as times during 2-5 PM that it becomes an area of molted shade. I have not seen the butterfly that deposited this as an egg or the pupa, I am hoping it became. This caterpillar disappeared from the area, gone the next day. Two weeks later, I found another smaller caterpillar in the same situation. I have considered taking it out of the vine and raising it in an enclosed butterfly habitat. Currently, I am researching what I would need to make this successful. I figure, until I have that information, it is better off on its own.
Status: Resident
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: July 12, 2016
Coordinator notes: None.
