Welcome to Catnapin's
Insect Gallery
True Brush-footed Butterflies
order Lepidoptera - family Nymphalidae - subfamily Nymphalinae
Eating Sleepy Daisy and sipping at a puddle.
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.
As the evening cooled, this butterfly took refuge in the leaves.
Common Buckeye Junonia coenia
Photo taken in Smith County, TX, November 2006
(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
After flitting out of an Oak Tree.
Tropical Buckeye Junonia evarete
Photo taken in Coleman County, September 2005
(Maps have this butterfly as rare in Texas and no county near Coleman)
Butterfly: 1 3/4"-2 1/4" wide. Eats nectar.
Caterpillar: Eats assorted plants.
Pupa: x
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
Painted Lady (American Lady) Vanessa cardui
Photo taken in Taylor County, May 2005
(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)
Butterfly: 2"-2 7/8" wide.
Caterpillar: Caterpillar is all black with black branched spines.
Pupa: x
1-2) Eating Basket Flower. 3) Drinking from puddle.
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
Basket flower photos taken in Coleman County, May 2004
Photos taken in Taylor County, June 2005, November 2006
(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
Feeding on Basket Flower.
American Lady Vanessa virginiensis
Photo taken in Coleman County, May 2004
(Fisher, Nolan, Shackelford, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, Runnels)
Butterfly: 1 3/4" -2 5/8" wide. Eats nectar.
Caterpillar: Eats sunflowers and other plants
Pupa: x
1) dark summer color of hindwing 2) white question mark on lower hindwing
Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis
Photo taken in Taylor County, July 2007
(Eastland, Coleman)
Butterfly: 2 1/4" - 3" wide. Top side of hindwing is black in summer and orange in winter. Lower side of hindwing has a small white question mark in the center.
Caterpillar: eats nettles, elms, and hackberry
Pupa: x
Other Species in My Area
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)
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)
