Attributes of Junonia coenia

Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia Hübner, [1822]

Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is brown. Forewing with 2 orange cell bars and 2 eyespots; part of white subapical band appears in the largest, lower eyespot. Hindwing has 2 eyespots; upper one is largest and contains a magenta crescent. Underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) form and rose-red in the dry season (fall) form.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males perch during the day on low plants or bare ground to watch for females, flying periodically to patrol or to chase other flying insects. Females lay eggs singly on leaf buds or on upperside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary and eat leaves. Caterpillars and adults overwinter but only in the south.
Flight: Two to three broods from May-October, throughout the year in the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants from the snapdragon family including snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and toadflax (Linaria); the plantain family including plantains (Plantago); and the acanthus family including ruellia (Ruellia nodiflora).
Adult Food: Favorite nectar sources are composites including aster, chickory, gumweed, knapweed, and tickseed sunflower. Dogbane, peppermint, and other flowers are also visited.
Habitat: Open, sunny areas with low vegetation and some bare ground.
Range: Resident in the southern United States and north along the coasts to central California and North Carolina; south to Bermuda, Cuba, Isle of Pines, and southern Mexico. Adults from the south's first brood migrate north in late spring and summer to temporarily colonize most of the United States and parts of southern Canada. Comments: The eyespots may be used to scare away predators.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Junonia coenia

Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.






Junonia coenia - Junonia-coenia-Bob-Moul-496.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia-coenia-Bob-Moul-496.jpg
Junonia coenia - Junonia-coenia-Bob-Moul-497.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia-coenia-Bob-Moul-497.jpg




Junonia coenia - Junonia-coenia-Mark-Collier.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia-coenia-Mark-Collier.jpg
Junonia coenia - CommonBuckeye_small.jpg

Junonia coenia - CommonBuckeye_small.jpg
Junonia coenia - CommonBuckeye-Simons.jpg

Junonia coenia - CommonBuckeye-Simons.jpg
Junonia coenia - CommonBuckeye2_small.jpg

Junonia coenia - CommonBuckeye2_small.jpg
Junonia coenia - Junonia_coeniaKsGrantJuly21-05CarolAdams-crop.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia_coeniaKsGrantJuly21-05CarolAdams-crop.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia_coenia.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia_coenia.jpg
Junonia coenia - Junonia_coenia2.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia_coenia2.jpg
Junonia coenia - Junonia_coenia3.jpg

Junonia coenia - Junonia_coenia3.jpg

The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.

By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.

See more recently verified sightings of all species.

You don't have Javascript enabled. Hover for more information! But don't worry: you can still use this web site! You have two options:
  • enable Javascript in your browser and then refresh this page, for a much enhanced experience.
  • click the Update button every time you want to update the selection.
Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
June 16, 2013 CA Ivy Adair County, Oklahoma, United States June 17, 2013 Details
June 16, 2013 CA Ivy Adair County, Oklahoma, United States June 17, 2013 Details
June 13, 2013 CA Ivy Franklin County, Arkansas, United States June 13, 2013 Details
June 11, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States June 11, 2013 Details
November 11, 2012 treichard Prince Georges County, Maryland, United States June 09, 2013 Details
September 22, 2012 saraheb Davidson County, Tennessee, United States June 06, 2013 Details
June 05, 2013 MAKI Santa Barbara County, California, United States June 06, 2013 Details
June 02, 2013 fragglecat Texas, Travis County, United States June 03, 2013 Details
June 01, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States June 02, 2013 Details
May 29, 2013 CA Ivy Franklin County, Arkansas, United States May 30, 2013 Details
May 26, 2013 Doug Bruce Lake County, Tennessee, United States May 29, 2013 Details
May 22, 2013 painted lady Benton County, Arkansas, United States May 29, 2013 Details
May 22, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 23, 2013 Details
May 17, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 17, 2013 Details
August 10, 2012 KristyBaker Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States May 11, 2013 Details
May 11, 2013 gunhilda Payne County, Oklahoma, United States May 11, 2013 Details
May 07, 2013 CA Ivy Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States May 07, 2013 Details
May 01, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 04, 2013 Details
May 03, 2013 Butterflygal Hamilton County, Texas, United States May 04, 2013 Details
May 01, 2013 scvirginia Charleston County, South Carolina, United States May 01, 2013 Details
April 26, 2013 treichard Monterey County, California, United States April 29, 2013 Details
April 25, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States April 25, 2013 Details
April 21, 2013 CA Ivy Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States April 21, 2013 Details
April 19, 2013 whbauer Blanco County, Texas, United States April 20, 2013 Details
January 20, 2013 Naseem Reza Volusia County, Florida, United States April 17, 2013 Details
January 21, 2013 Naseem Reza Volusia County, Florida, United States April 17, 2013 Details
September 23, 2011 butterfliesinoz Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States April 07, 2013 Details
August 16, 2011 catharinejo Jackson County, Kansas, United States April 05, 2013 Details
April 05, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States April 05, 2013 Details
October 08, 2012 rjcohrs Hancock County, Indiana, United States March 13, 2013 Details
October 09, 2011 WestCoastLady Humboldt County, California, United States March 06, 2013 Details
August 25, 2012 TiggersMomma Monroe County, Indiana, United States March 03, 2013 Details
June 26, 2012 J_Martineau Dakota County, Minnesota, United States February 09, 2013 Details
June 20, 2012 Dave Kinney Wexford County, Michigan, United States February 08, 2013 Details
August 21, 2012 MarkScottsmltd Fannin County, Georgia, United States January 31, 2013 Details
November 04, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 29, 2013 Details
November 06, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 29, 2013 Details
November 07, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 29, 2013 Details
November 07, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 29, 2013 Details
November 08, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 29, 2013 Details
October 31, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 28, 2013 Details
October 15, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 15, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 16, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 16, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 16, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 18, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 19, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 22, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 23, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details