Gulf Fritillary on Elephantsfoot

by Paul Rebmann

Title

Gulf Fritillary on Elephantsfoot

Artist

Paul Rebmann

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

A gulf fritillary butterfly on elephantsfoot flowers showing the underside of the wings.

This image has been featured in the following groups:
The 200 Club – Best photos with over 200 views up to 500 (01/28/2021)

Gulf Fritillaries can be seen in flight all year in south Florida and all except December northward in the state. The range of Agraulis vanillae is from South America north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to the southern United States, occassionally wandering into the central United States.
Tall elephantsfoot is a common wildflower of pine flatwoods, sandhills, dry prairies and other uplands and ruderal sites throughout nearly all of Florida. The range includes the southeastern coastal states from Louisiana into South Carolina.
Elephantsfoot is a perennial growing up to 7dm (just over 2 ft.) tall from a rhizome. Basal rosettes of elliptic or lanceolate leaves with hairy undersides help identify this plant even when not in bloom. The stems are often branching with much smaller alternate, sessile and elliptic leaves. The white, pink or pale purple tubular florets appear above three leaf-like, deltoid, hairy bracts.

Uploaded

December 28th, 2017

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