Gulf Fritillary

Agraulis vanillae incarnata

Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae

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Characteristics: Bright orange on dorsal wing surface with black markings; ventral hindwing with silver spots. Forewing length: 25-39 mm.

Similar Species: The only other Orange County butterflies with silver spots on the ventral hindwing are the true fritillaries (genus Speyeria). However, the wing shape of Agraulis vanillae differs markedly from that of Speyeria.

Habits: Often found gliding through city yards, most common near stands of the larval food plant, passion flower vine.

Distribution: Limited almost solely to the cities and suburbs.

Flight Period: Continuously brooded. We have Orange County records for nearly every month, although the butterfly appears most commonly in September. Ron Vanderhoff records the species primarily from May to November in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa.

Larval Foodplants: Introduced Passion flower vine (Passiflora spp.). This is one butterfly that could not breed in Orange County before the establishment of the foodplant as an ornamental.

Other Remarks: Kerr's remarks concerning this butterfly indicates that the Gulf Fritillary was common in Orange County long before the appearance of the suburbs although Theodore Hower believes it has become more abundant since then. Further north, this tropical species is occasionally decimated by cold winters, but reestablishes itself in climatically favorable years. The butterfly has no diapause (Emmel and Emmel, 1973), but apparently has the physiological ability to survive low temperatures of short duration.

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