White Peacock Butterfly - Anartia jatrophae
Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) » Papilionoidea (Butterflies) » Nymphalidae (Brushfooted Butterflies) » Nymphalinae (Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc.) » Anartia » Anartia jatrophae (White Peacock)
Live adult butterflies photographed at Corpus Christi, TX, USA, © Andrew Willias. Photos used with permission.

These butterfly pictures are free for noncommercial use

White Peacock's camouflage goes well with sandy soil
The White Peacock is very limited in range to the tropics; much more so than its more well-known cousin, the Buckeye Butterfly. Peacocks are not strong fliers, and being less hardy, they remain a rarity outside their strongholds in south Texas and Florida.

Wing undersides show complex orange markings
Mated Pair, male on top
Life Cycle: Eggs are pale yellow, laid on various host plants including ruellia and water hyssop. Caterpillars are black and spiny, with silver spots. Chrysalis green, darkening with age. The White Peacock flies year-round except in very cold weather.
Habitat: Swamps, watersides, shorelines, disturbed places.
Range: South Texas and South Florida. Strays north to Kansas and Massachusetts, also much of the tropics.
Butterflies have been revered by mankind since before the dawn of recorded history. They are among the most fascinating and beautiful animals; even people who care not for insects in general usually have an affection for these winged wonders. They live nearly everywhere -- from gardens and forests and mountains to acid bogs and frozen arctic tundra. Almost 700 of the world's 10 - 20,000 species live in North America north of Mexico.

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.

 

              
 
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