There are tons of orange butterflies flying around my passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and firebush (Hamelia patens) plants. They look similar to gulf frittilaries, but without all those white circles on the underside of the wing. Any ideas of what they could be?? They don't hold still long enough for a photo shoot!
Orange butterfly?
Maybe they're Julia's. They're in the same family as Zebra longwing's....
Adrienne
Yes Adrienne, Julia comes to mind first for me too. Could also be Variegated Fritillary. They sometimes use passionvine too.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/8/ variegated fritillary
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/92/ julia heliconian (Dryas julia)
debnes
It doesn't really look like either of these. The shape is like the fritillary, but the color is a brighter orange like the julia but with much less black markings. Hmmmm...
Okay, so maybe it isn't a butterfly that uses passionvine as a host, just enjoying the vine. See if you can get a pic. So many bflies are orange. Even a blurry pic might work for ID.
Ok - I will attempt to photograph and post in the morning :)
Thanks all!