Gulf Fritillary (University of Arizona Pollinator Field Guide)

Gulf Fritillary

Agraulis vanillae

Who am I? ²

Orange you glad to see me? I am the Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), funnily enough, I am the only member of the family Agraulis. Unless, of course, you count the different versions of me within my species. We are a tropical butterfly and are not native to Arizona, and are more commonly found in the more southern part of the United States. I love passionflowers, they might look rather odd to some but they are an absolute treat! We don't seem to be the most frequent visitors at the University of Arizona, but that may change in the future if more people spot us...

Quick facts ²

Common name: Gulf Fritillary

Scientific name:Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus 1758)

Family: Nymphalidae - Heliconiinae

Characteristics:

Wing span: 2 1/2 - 3 3/4 inches (6.3 - 9.5 cm)
Upperside bright orange, black markings, 3 white dots with black encircling each on upper edge of forewing
Underside: brown with white spots
Elongated wings
Can be sexually dimorphic: females tend to be larger, darker, and have more markings

Host plant: Primarily relies on non-native species of Passiflora plants, including purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), corkystem passionflower (Passiflora suberosa), and yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea)

Nectar plant: Prefers lantana, shepherd's needle, cordias, and composites

Distribution: S. United States to S. America; this butterfly is ubiquitous in Florida

Flight times: North in spring, moves back south in late summer and fall; will overwinter in non-frosting regions of range. See seasonality: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49150-Agraulis-vanillae

Read more about us here: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/gulf_fritillary.htm

Where can you find me on campus? ²

Gulf fritillary generally occur where passionfruit flowers are present, and at the moment there is only one observation on campus at the Environment and Natural Resources 2 building. More observations may help future predictions.