This is a great time of the year to explore the many species of butterflies and moths that can be found in Central Florida. Here are a few of the butterflies and moths I've seen over the past month at my favorite wildlife locations. The Queen is a commonly found the Viera Wetlands. I never tire of seeing this boldly colored, large butterfly.
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| Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta |
Last weekend, I saw quite a few Long-tailed Skipper feeding on the vegetation growing along the fence that borders the wetlands.
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| Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus |
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| Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus |
I encountered the next two species, the Eastern Pygmy-blue and the Ceraunus Blue, along Biolab Road on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
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| Eastern Pygmy-blue Brephidium pseudofea |
The Pygmy is the smallest butterfly in Florida and the Ceraunus is only slightly bigger. These two species are fairly similar, however, easy to distinguish by their hindspots.
Perhaps my favorite find of the month was this Polka dot Wasp Moth. It is also referred to as an "Oleander Moth" because of its love of oleanders. This colorful little creature has white dotted wings and a stunning metallic blue, bright orange abdomen. This species resembles a wasp, however, it is just a harmless moth.
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| Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus |
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| Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus |
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| Mangrove Buckeye Junonia evarete |
There were quite a few Mangrove Buckeyes along Biolab Rd as well as along Blackpoint Drive.
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| Polka dot Wasp Moth Syntomeida epilais |
