Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius)
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The Zebra Longwing is one of most common butterflies to be seen in the Garden. They are unmistakable and highly visible. Their flight is slow and lazy, and they feed at just about any of the flowers. The light stripes can vary from white to yellow, but most of the butterflies here in Austin seem to have very light to white colors. In addition to the bold black and white markings, the undersides of the wings have red spots at the base.
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The larvae of the Zebra Longwing, like all Heliconids, feed on passionflower vines. The white caterpillars can often be found feeding along with those of the Gulf Fritillary. Both species have black spines, but the Zebra caterpillars are white with small black dots.
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class: Insecta / order: Lepidoptera / family: Heliconiidae / genus: Heliconius / species: charitonius
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