Jaltemba Bay’s New Generation of Butterfly and Moth
Tara A. Spears
It’s always exciting to explore outdoors but June has several showstopper butterflies emerging that catch the eye. Firstly, these gorgeous striped butterflies step out from its pupa; next, jumbo caterpillars appear en masse that are 7 inches/ 18cm long and as wide as a Cuban cigar! Lastly, beautiful, large moths-with the same markings as the fat caterpillars- silently glide through the summer nights.
This gorgeous butterfly, Chlosyne ehrenbergii, is endemic to Mexico. It is found mainly in scrubby habitat, including along roadsides. White-rayed Checkerspot, its common name, is black on both wing surfaces, marked with radiating creamy lines, which are more prominent on the underside of the wings. Easy to spot as they contrast with the green vegetation. The eggs are pale yellow in color, and laid in batches of up to 200, on the underside of leaves of the food plant, Buddleia. Adults of some Checkerspot groups are the longest-lived butterflies, surviving 6-11 months. Adult feeding behavior depends on the species, with some groups preferring flower nectar and other Checkerspot butterfly groups only feeding on sap flows, dung, or rotting fruit. Males exhibit perching and patrolling behaviors when seeking mates. Egg-laying varies widely, as some species lay eggs in clusters, some lay egg columns, and others single eggs. Caterpillar appearance and behavior also varies widely. This specie of butterfly can overwinter in the larvae stage or as an adult.
White-rayed checkerspot hanging together: Chlosyne ehrenbergii has very unusual adult behavior in that the females are highly gregarious, clustering together in groups of a dozen or more on Buddleia bushes. Often as many as 4 or 5 females can be found simultaneously laying eggs on a single leaf. Both sexes will drink nectar at a wide variety of wild flowers, favoring daisies and similar type flowers. One day when going to pick fresh limes I was surprised to find more than fruit. There were 22 obese, brown spotted caterpillars clustered together. You could see where the caterpillars had eaten entire branches clean of leaves. I instantly thought they were moth larva due to their coloration. After researching many hours, I’m sure that the caterpillars/moth are in the family Noctuidae, most likely the distinctive Lunate Zale moth.
What is amazing about moths is that primitive moths appeared 195 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. Since then, more than 150,000 known species of moths have evolved in diverse colors, shapes, and sizes. Moths have two pairs of eyes—one that distinguishes between light and dark and another to decipher color, shape, and movement. Moths use their vision to orient themselves to natural sources of light. Artificial lights—including porch lights—disorient them, causing them to fly around in circles.
Since Jaltemba Bay enjoys subtropical winter weather, many butterfly and moth species will have new generations appearing in winter as well as during the traditional summer months. June provides such excellent examples of White-rayed Checkerspot and Lunate Zale moths.
