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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 457 - 480 of 4582 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 11, 2021
Submitted by: splacejb
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: tygerwillow
Region: San Francisco County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: CaraLundquist
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2022
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 17, 2022
Observation date: Aug 08, 2022
Submitted by: Tater Salad
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2022
Submitted by: michellebofill
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2022
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett (This is the same road on which I photographed a "first time seen" Diva Moth along with 10 other butterflies.)
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Oct 16, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Sep 17, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 31, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 29, 2018
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: Oct 14, 2021
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Georgia, Treutlen County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2022
Submitted by: GJanis
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 05, 2022
Observation date: Oct 08, 2019
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Georgia, Treutlen County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2022
Submitted by: creid80
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2022
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Mar 04, 2018
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jul 20, 2022
Submitted by: Olive C
Region: Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: black
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jul 19, 2022
Submitted by: aturney
Region: Texas, Polk County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 22, 2022
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