THE GULF FRITILLARY:
Amelia's Silver-Spotted Butterfly
By Mary Beth Litrico, Artwork by Walter Hunt
The little caterpillar creeps
Awhile before in silk it sleeps,
It sleeps awhile before it flies,
And flies awhile before it dies,
And that's the end of three good tries.
David McCord
Mr. McCord's poem is a simple
synopsis of the life of a butterfly. One butterfly species that graces Amelia Island is
the Gulf Fritillary, a silver-speckled orange flame. This beautiful insect weaves its life
cycle around the passion vine.
The Gulf Fritillary is named after the red fritillary flower and is
common around the Gulf of Mexico, though it will migrate as far north as the Great Lakes.
It can't endure freezing temperatures at any stage, so it recolonizes north Florida after
cold winters. Home is woodland edges, city gardens and open brushy fields.
Illustration by Walter W. Hunt © 1999.
Waterwheel Art Studio, 316A Centre Street
__________________________
The first stage of complete
metamorphosis is as an egg. Gulf Fritillary females deposit the yellow oblong eggs on
leaves of the Passiflora family, or passion vine. She prefers tender green leaves without
other eggs to ensure a sufficient supply of fresh food for her brood. Common predators of
eggs are ants.
Just a few days later, tiny caterpillars hatch from the eggs. The Gulf
Fritillary caterpillar is black and spiny with two brownish stripes along each side. It
feeds on passion vine leaves, fulfilling its purposes of eating and growing. This little
eating machine may eat twice its weight in a single day. Caterpillars have a wide range of
protection devices. Many simply blend in to their environments via camouflage or trompe
l'oeil. Perhaps it resembles a stick or twig of its host plant. Others sport fear inducing
spines or bright colors, nature's warning of danger. Birds and small animals prey on
caterpillars. Depending on the species, the caterpillar stage lasts a week to several
months.
To avoid crafty predators that have learned to look for caterpillars on
the passion vine, they move to a different spot to prepare for the next stage as a pupa or
specifically for a butterfly, a chrysalis. The Gulf Fritillary chrysalis is long and
curved, brown or greenish-brown with assorted patches of gray or brown. Although enclosed
in a hard
protective outer shell, a chrysalis makes a tasty snack for birds and other creatures.
Defense tactics from the previous stage continue to protect this stage, such as camouflage
or mimicry of environmental features. Surviving Gulf Fritillary pupae will reach the last
stage of metamorphosis in about ten days. While hanging from the shell of the chrysalis,
the new adult pumps shrunken wings to fill veins with fluid. After the expanded wings dry,
the adult, or imago, takes to flight.
The new butterfly is quite vulnerable to birds or other insects at this
beginning. However, it's bright orange color warns predators so it is generally not
harmed. Adults are only able to feed on fluids. The Gulf Fritillary enjoys nectar from the
passion flower and lantana. In return, the butterfly transfers pollens for the benefit of
these plants. The
adults' purpose is to find a mate and reproduce. The female is ready to mate a day after
emerging from her chrysalis. Her strong wings enable her to disperse eggs to precise sites
with a good supply of food for future caterpillars. Metamorphosis begins again.
As Amelia Island warms up to summer, these complete life cycles occur,
from the unnoticeable egg, to creepy caterpillar, to magical chrysalis to graceful
butterfly.