Doris Longwing

First, just a welcome to six new countries viewing our blog: Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, and Zambia. That brings the total to 107 countries around the world. It is nice to know that no matter what other differences we have (political, religious, etc.) we have one thing in common, and that is a love of wildlife.

Today, we move on to the Doris Longwing. This is a beautiful butterfly from Central America down through the Amazon. It feeds on nectar from Lantana -- a plant we have which survives well in hot climates. But, the plant's range is wider than the butterfly's. Too bad, I would love to see one here. This particular photo was taken at the Tucson Botanical Garden during their Butterfly (Greehouse) show.

Doris Longwing

Longwings

The family of Longwings produces some strikingly beautiful butterflies. As you can see, these butterflies have relatively short bodies with long wings -- hence the name "longwing".  Their slow, lazy, fluttering flight is designed to show off their bright colors, signaling to predators that they are bad-tasting and should be avoided. 

These butterflies have several interesting behaviors.  For example, they eat pollen in addition to nectar, and 
they sleep in groups at night, perching on thin, hanging twigs.


Here are several from my trip to the Botanical Garden on Tuesday:

Cydno Longwing

Doris Longwing

Golden Longwing

Sapho Longwing

Zebra Longwing