| Grey Pansy Butterfly - Junonia atlites Family: Nymphalidae (brushfoot butterflies) Captive live butterflies photographed at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Butterfly Main | Moths | Moth Index | Skippers | Butterfly Index | Insects & Spiders | |
The grey pansy is a tropical butterfly found in Sri Lanka with a wingspan of 55-65mm. Insects in the genus, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819, are commonly known as Buckeyes, Pansies, or Commodores. This genus flies on every continent except Antarctica, and contains about 30–35 species. Live butterfly exhibits have become very popular in the United States, for obvious reasons. Children love butterflies, adults love butterflies and museums find them easy to raise and maintain - everybody wins. This happy circumstance is also good for the wild butterflies - people who used to go into the rain forest and capture live butterflies, or plunder their eggs and chrysalises now can be set to work on butterfly farms, thereby sparing our wild populations, and providing much needed jobs for many impoverished regions. |
Learn to identify many of the American Midwest's common species through descriptions and large diagnostic photos of live, wild specimens. Butterfly Index | Moth Pictures | Moths Index | Skipper Butterflies |