Gulf Fritillary
Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Upperside bright orange with black markings; 3 black-encircled white dots on forewing leading edge. Underside brown; forewing with orange at base; both wings with elongated, iridescent silver spots.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 3/4 inches (6.3 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for females, who lay eggs on many parts of the host plant. Caterpillars feed on most parts of the host. Adults overwinter in the south.
Flight: Throughout the year in south Florida and South Texas, January-November in the north. Number of broods has not been determined.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various species of passion-vine including maypops (Passiflora incarnata) and running pop (P. foetida).
Adult Food: Nectar from lantana, shepherd\'s needle, cordias, composites, and others.
Habitat: Pastures, open fields, second-growth subtropical forest and edges, city gardens.
Range: South America north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to the southern United States. Wanders north to the central United States; rare northward.
Conservation: Not usually of concern.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Cultivate host plants.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 313 - 336 of 4581 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 19, 2022
Submitted by: Kitty K
Region: Bay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 28, 2023
Observation date: Jun 26, 2023
Submitted by: LHenriksen
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2023
Observation date: Jun 07, 2023
Submitted by: Mamakat64
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 22, 2023
Observation date: Jun 02, 2023
Submitted by: SDozzler
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 22, 2023
Observation date: Jun 10, 2023
Submitted by: baltman
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 22, 2023
Observation date: Jun 15, 2023
Submitted by: Pkleinsasser
Region: St. Johns County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 17, 2023
Observation date: Sep 28, 2019
Submitted by: CFreeman
Region: Yolo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 15, 2023
Observation date: Jun 12, 2023
Submitted by: therapypetz
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 12, 2023
Observation date: Jun 03, 2023
Submitted by: SDozzler
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 08, 2023
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: JudyLY
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 30, 2023
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: JudyLY
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 30, 2023
Observation date: Mar 14, 2023
Submitted by: Christine Harwood
Region: Cayo District, Belize
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: May 11, 2023
Observation date: Feb 24, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Dominican Republic
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: May 09, 2023
Observation date: Apr 05, 2023
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 21, 2023
Observation date: Oct 11, 2019
Submitted by: JazzyJudy
Region: Anderson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 15, 2023
Observation date: Mar 27, 2023
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region:
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Apr 08, 2023
Observation date: Mar 18, 2023
Submitted by: CRiley
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 18, 2023
Observation date: Jan 31, 2023
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 15, 2023
Observation date: Feb 03, 2023
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 15, 2023
Observation date: Feb 11, 2023
Submitted by: sofia.pione
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 10, 2023
Observation date: Oct 09, 2019
Submitted by: greenesnake@yah...
Region: Gibson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Mar 10, 2023
Observation date: Dec 05, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Nayarit, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 25, 2023
Observation date: Nov 25, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Nayarit, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 25, 2023
Observation date: Nov 13, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Nayarit, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 25, 2023
- ‹ previous
- 14 of 191
- next ›