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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 8145 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 20, 2019
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 24, 2019
Observation date: May 02, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Elmore County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2019
Observation date: Mar 06, 2019
Submitted by: Mikelchap (Bob Speare)
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 15, 2019
Observation date: Mar 10, 2019
Submitted by: GPete
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 10, 2019
Observation date: Feb 24, 2019
Submitted by: brberger
Region: Calhoun County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 05, 2019
Observation date: Feb 18, 2019
Submitted by: the janitors son
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 23, 2019
Observation date: Feb 15, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Feb 21, 2019
Observation date: Sep 25, 2017
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Susan Olcott)
Region: Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 18, 2019
Observation date: Jun 26, 2017
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Susan Olcott)
Region: Wirt County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 18, 2019
Observation date: Jun 26, 2017
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Susan Olcott)
Region: Calhoun County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 18, 2019
Observation date: Feb 16, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Colleton County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Feb 17, 2019
Observation date: Jan 08, 2019
Submitted by: katrohrer
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 16, 2019
Observation date: Oct 27, 2018
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Colorado County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Feb 15, 2019
Observation date: Sep 13, 2018
Submitted by: vychelli
Region: Des Moines County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Feb 14, 2019
Observation date: Sep 18, 2018
Submitted by: KateTweedy
Region: Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jan 28, 2019
Observation date: Jan 23, 2019
Submitted by: suedavies28
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 26, 2019
Observation date: Jan 06, 2019
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Texas, United States, Upshur County
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 17, 2019
Observation date: Oct 25, 2018
Submitted by: BiancaU
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 12, 2019
Observation date: Jan 07, 2019
Submitted by: the janitors son
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 07, 2019
Observation date: Oct 18, 2018
Submitted by: Tim Shortell
Region: Mesa County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 31, 2018
Observation date: Sep 09, 2012
Submitted by: fultondo
Region: Ottawa County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 26, 2018
Observation date: Dec 07, 2018
Submitted by: the janitors son
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 09, 2018
Observation date: Nov 04, 2018
Submitted by: atlnature
Region: DeKalb County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
Observation date: Apr 18, 2018
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Bleckley County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
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