common buckeye | skymeadows

common buckeye (Junonia coenia)

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

FAMILY: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)
SUBFAMILY: True Brushfoots (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.

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.

WING SPAN: 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm).

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.

NATURESERVE GLOBAL STATUS: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally,
though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the
periphery.

MANAGEMENT NEEDS: None reported.

SKY MEADOWS OCCURRENCE:

Note: Due to seasonal conditions in this region, occurrence may vary from

year to year. The designation of occurrence may range over two or more

categories and may vary even during a single season.

Key to Checklist

A   Abundant: Easy to see very large numbers of individuals in appropriate habitat
      at proper time of year.
C   Common: Usually each to see good numbers of individuals in appropriate habitat
      at proper time of year.
U   Uncommon: Sometimes found in appropriate habitat and proper time of year,
      usually in low numbers.
O   Occasional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times a year, usually
      in low numbers.
R   Rare: Small chance of being found, even in appropriate habitat at proper time of
      year. There are few individuals and may not be present every year.
X   Extirpated: Formerly present, no longer occurs in Sky Meadows Park.