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Insect Gallery

True Brush-footed Butterflies

order Lepidoptera - family Nymphalidae - subfamily Nymphalinae

Eating Sleepy Daisy.

Bordered Patch Chlosyne lacinia

Photo taken in Taylor County, July 2005

(Nolan, Callahan, Eastland, Coke, Runnels)

Butterfly: 1 3/8"-2" wide.  Black with orange bar and white and orange spots.  Markings are variable, some are nearly all black with narrow bands and small spots.

Caterpillar: Orange dots down back and sides with black, branched spines.  Eat sunflowers, ragweed, and cockleburs.

Pupa: Gray chrysalis with white splotches on sides and base and orange dots on top and orange splotches on inside.

Eating Narrow-leaf Gayfeather.

The base wing color should be dark brown.

Common Buckeye Junonia coenia

Photo taken in Coleman County, September 2005

(Taylor, Nolan, Callahan, Eastland, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 1 1/2"-2 1/2" wide

Caterpillar: Shiny black with two rows of orange spots on the back and two rows of cream spots on the sides.  Orange "false legs".  Black branched spines with blue bases on the back and orange bases on the sides.  Head is orange and has spines.

Pupa: x

1) Cool morning.  2) Eating Rayless Green-thread.

Graphic Crescent (Vesta Crescent) Phyciodes graphica

Photo taken in Taylor County, July 2005

Photo taken in Coleman County, September 2005

(Nolan, Shackelford, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 7/8"-1 1/2" wide.  Eat nectar.

Caterpillar: Eat Hairy tubetongue (Siphonoglossa pilosella) in the acanthus family.

Pupa: x

Similar Species

Tiny Checkerspot Dymasia dymas

7/8 - 1 3/8 inches.  Upperside is light brownish orange with narrow dark markings; wings may have dark borders. Female often larger and lighter colored. Underside has a black terminal line and white marginal spots that are flat on the outer edge.

(Taylor, Coke)

Elada Checkerspot Texola elada

7/8 - 1 1/4 inches.  Dark brown with rows of small brownish orange spots. Underside of hindwing has a median band of two or three rows of white spots, and a red-orange marginal band.

(Shackelford)

Phaon Crescent Phyciodes phaon

1 - 1 1/2 inches.  Forewing is dark orange and black with a pale cream median band. Underside of hindwing is cream to yellowish; spring and fall butterflies (form marcia) have a gray hindwing.

(Coleman, Brown)

Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos

1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches.  Quite variable. Males usually have black antennal knobs. Upperside is orange with black borders; postmedian and submarginal areas are crossed by fine black marks. Underside of hindwing has a dark marginal patch containing a light-colored crescent. Spring and fall broods (form marcia) have a gray mottled hindwing below.

(Taylor, Nolan, Jones, Runnels, Coleman)

Painted Crescent Phyciodes picta

1 - 1 1/2 inches.  Upperside is dark with yellowish spots. Below, forewing apex and all of hindwing are yellow-cream with pale or absent markings.

(Coke)

Eating Indian Blanket.

American Painted Lady (American Lady) Vanessa virginiensis

Photo taken in Taylor County, May 2005

(Nolan, Fisher, Shackelford, Callahan, Eastland, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 1 3/4"-2 5/8" wide.  Forwing underside has a pinkish bar.  Eat nectar.  Adults hibernate.

Caterpillar: Live in a nest of leaves tied with silk.  Eat a variety of weeds.

Pupa: x

Similar Species

Painted Lady (American Lady) Vanessa cardui

2 - 2 7/8 inches.  Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases; forewing with black apex patch and white bar on leading edge; hindwing submarginal row of 5 small black spots sometimes has blue scales. Underside has a black, brown, and gray pattern with 4 small submarginal eyespots.

Caterpillar is all black with black branched spines.

(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

1-2) Eating Basket Flower. 3) Drinking from puddle.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Photo taken in Coleman County, May 2004

Photo taken in Taylor County, June 2005

(Nolan, Shackelford, Brown)

Butterfly: 1 3/4" -3" wide.  Has a dull winter form with non-interrupted forewing band.  Adults hibernate.

Caterpillar: Brown with rows of reddish, multi prickled spines.  Take shelter in folded leaves; older ones tie leaves together with silk.  Prefers nettles.

Pupa: x

Similar Species

California Sister Adelpha bredowii

2 1/4 - 4 inches.  Upperside is brownish black with an orange patch at the forewing apex. White median band across both wings is broken on the forewing.

(Taylor, Jones, Callahan)

Other True Brush-foots in my area

Fulvia Checkerspot Thessalia fulvia

1 1/4 - 1 15/16 inches.  Variable. Male upperside is dark orange to blackish with wide dark veins and light bands; female is lighter orange. Underside of hindwing is cream with black veins; black submarginal and postmedian bands contain white spots.

(Nolan)

Silvery Checkerspot Chlosyne nycteis

1 3/8 - 2 inches. Upperside is pale yellow-orange with dark borders and markings. Hindwing above and below has some white-centered submarginal spots; hindwing below is pale with a large white crescent at the margin.

(Jones)

Texan Crescent Phyciodes texana

1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches.  Outer margin is indented below tip of forewing. Upperside is black with small white spots and some rusty red near wing bases. Hindwing with median band of cream-colored spots.

(Coleman)

Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis

2 1/4 - 3 inches.  Forewing hooked; upperside is red-orange with black spots. Upperside hindwing of summer form is mostly black with a short tail; that of winter form has much orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail. Underside is light brown; hindwing with pearly white question mark in center.

(Eastland, Coleman)

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa

2 1/4 - 4 inches.  Short projections on both wings, borders irregular. Upperside is purple-black with a wide, bright yellow border on outer margins, and a row of iridescent blue spots at the inner edge of the border.

(Taylor, Brown)

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