A bright orange butterfly with narrow, elongated wings. The top of the wing is orange with thin black streaks and spots. The underside of the wings is brown and speckled with silvery white dots. Females are typically distinctively larger in size than males. Caterpillars are generally orange with black branched spines and greenish-black stripes.
Forest, Grassland, Urban
Gulf fritillaries are found primarily in the southern parts of the contiguous United States, from Florida and Georgia to Texas and California. However, this butterfly’s range can extend from the Southern United States into parts of Mexico and Central America and sometimes as far as parts of South America. They are also found in Hawaii.
Common
Diurnal
The host plants for Gulf Fritillary larvae are in the Passiflora genus (passionflower), this includes Purple and Yellow Passionflower. Adults feed on nectar.
These butterflies secrete a chemical with a distinct odor as a defense mechanism. Males also supply "nuptial gifts" during mating which consists of transferring extra nutrients to the female which is then used to advance egg development.
Adults act as pollinators and their larva are a food source for birds
Least Concern
