Buckeye Butterfly

Welcome to this week’s Wildlife of the Week!

Our species this week is the Buckeye Butterfly!

Junonia coenia

The Buckeye Butterfly is our Wildlife of the Week. These common butterflies are known for the distinctive eye-like markings on their wings. They are primarily brown with orange, black, white, blue, and magenta accents. The striking eyespots on the wings are not just for show; they play a crucial role in predator deterrence, mimicking the eyes of larger animals. They are medium-sized butterflies with a wingspan of 2 to 2.5 inches.

The larval stage of the common buckeye can last between two and four weeks, during which the caterpillar can grow up to 1.5 inches in length. Its body is adorned with orange spots on a black base, highlighted by spine-like structures that protrude significantly. These spines have a striking blue hue at their bases, adding to the caterpillar’s distinctive appearance.

Buckeyes range across much of the southern US into Mexico. They prefer open fields and meadows where they feed on flower nectar from plants like tickseed, sunflower, aster, gumweed, knapweed, and chicory. Their lifespan is one to three weeks.

This is a good time of year to see butterflies on the refuge. Rockhouse Road and the road around Blackwell Swamp are good places to spot them. (Photo by Tom Ress)