The longwing butterflies have unusually long lifespans and
high fecundity rates, which largely result from their augmented
diet. Instead of surviving on food stores from the larval stage
or solely sipping flower nectar, adult longwing butterflies are
avid pollen eaters. These traits make them eminently suitable
for butterfly farming and butterfly gardening. Also, Adult
Longwings may live for several months, much longer than most
butterflies.
The longwing butterflies are also known as Heliconians. They
are brightly colored butterflies with long forewings. Once
placed in their own family, they are now considered closely
related to the fritillaries. Larvae of most longwings feed
on passion vines, and this host plant imparts noxious chemicals
to the larvae which are carried over to the adult butterflies.
This relationship is identical to the monarch butterflies'
reliance on its host plant, milkweed, for defense. Predators
find these chemicals distasteful and avoid eating the
butterflies. |
Within the butterfly habitat at the Notebaert Nature Museum
resides a family of butterflies called Longwings (Heliconius).
During the day, these active butterflies entertain guests as
they fly from flower to flower but little do guests know that
each evening, the Longwings participate in another fascinating
behavior known as communal roosting.
Circadian communal
roosting in butterflies occurs when a number of butterflies
gather to rest for the night, typically on a single branch.
These communal roosters can be quite numerous and can consist of
single specie or a variety of species. Each evening, the air
around the roosting site fills with butterflies as they fly back
and forth and work to find an open spot on the roost. The whole
process takes about an hour to complete because the new arrivals
tend to agitate the butterflies that perched earlier. Unless the
roosting site is disturbed, the same butterflies will visit that
spot night after night. Strength in numbers is one of the
benefits of communal roosting for Longwings. Predators dislike
the taste of Longwing butterflies, so if a predator eats from
the roost it will quickly learn not to do it again, saving the
group.
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