Julia Heliconian
Dryas iulia (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Forewings elongate. Male bright orange above and below; upperside of hindwing with narrow black border on outer margin. Female duller orange, with more black markings above.
Wing Span: 3 1/4 - 3 5/8 inches (8.2 - 9.2 cm).
Life History: Males patrol all day for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on new growth; caterpillars feed on leaves. Adults forage along a set route of nectar sources each day in a behavior known as "trap-lining".
Flight: Throughout the year in southern Florida and South Texas, strays to the north in summer.
Caterpillar Hosts: Passion-vines including Passiflora lutea in Texas.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including lantana and shepherd\'s needle; probably others.
Habitat: Subtropical hammock openings and edges, and nearby fields.
Range: Resident in Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, West Indies, peninsular Florida, and South Texas. Strays north to eastern Nebraska.
Conservation: Not usually required, but habitat in South Texas is limited.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 280 verified sightings
Observation date: Jan 15, 2022
Submitted by: David F Smith
Region: Oaxaca, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jan 26, 2023
Observation date: Dec 25, 2022
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jan 19, 2023
Observation date: Dec 13, 2022
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 13, 2022
Observation date: Nov 07, 2022
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 08, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: Rosa Ruperto
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Dec 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: Rosa Ruperto
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Dec 02, 2022
Observation date: Nov 18, 2016
Submitted by: David M. Gascoigne
Region: Granma, Cuba
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Nov 05, 2022
Observation date: Feb 24, 2017
Submitted by: devjohnstone
Region: Villa Clara, Cuba
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Nov 05, 2022
Observation date: Mar 29, 2016
Submitted by: Greg Braun
Region: The Bahamas
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 24, 2022
Observation date: Jan 22, 2014
Submitted by: mikeakresh
Region: The Bahamas
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 24, 2022
Observation date: Feb 17, 2010
Submitted by: pretzeleater
Region: Cayman Islands
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 22, 2022
Observation date: Nov 20, 2017
Submitted by: jartigas59
Region: San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Feb 28, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2017
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Panama
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 13, 2022
Observation date: Jan 16, 2009
Submitted by: David Trently
Region: Panamá Province, Panama
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 13, 2017
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chiapas, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Jul 13, 2017
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chiapas, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Feb 16, 2016
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Dec 26, 2020
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 31, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: Feb 11, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Limon, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: May 24, 2016
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: Apr 17, 2016
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
- 1 of 12
- next ›