Zebra Longwing by David Whited

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David Whited

Zebra Longwing

Digital photography

Inv: MM-1595

The Zebra Longwing (*Heliconius charithonia*), Florida's official state butterfly, is a striking species with elongated black wings marked by bold, narrow yellow stripes resembling a zebra's pattern, along with scattered red spots near the body on the underside of the hindwings; found in tropical and subtropical hammocks, forest edges, and gardens from the southern United States through Central America and into South America, its caterpillars feed exclusively on passionflower vines, from which they sequester toxic compounds that make adults unpalatable to predators, and like other Heliconius species, it is notably long-lived (often several months) due to its unique ability to feed on pollen alongside nectar, exhibits slow, distinctive fluttering flight, and roosts communally in groups at night.