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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI14090854/00001
Notes
- Scope and Content:
- Source: Zebra Butterflies 1
Length of Segment: 00:01:14
Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. Have you seen a zebra lately? No, not the African mammal, Florida's zebra: Florida's state butterfly. Of course the name 'zebra' comes from our butterfly's bold black and yellow pattern. This black butterfly has two diagonal pale-yellow slashes near the tip of its forewings and long pale-yellow stripes that arc from wing to wing. The zebra butterfly is also known as the 'zebra longwing', another name that fits. This butterfly's narrow wings can stretch up to four inches from tip to tip although they're often closer to three inches. This is a butterfly that is hard to misidentify; without knowing it, many people immediately call it 'the zebra'. This Florida zebra is the northernmost member of a group of tropical butterflies known as the Heliconias. It's especially prevalent in disturbed wetland areas. The zebra butterfly is most common in South Florida, but can be found throughout the state, across the lower Gulf Coast, and south into the West Indies and South America to Ecuador. During the summer, zebra butterflies occasionally make their way northward as far as Nebraska, but they can't survive the cold northern winter. ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Source: Zebra Butterflies 2
Length of Segment: 00:01:13
Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. The beautiful zebra butterfly is intimately linked to passion flowers and it's easily attracted to backyards and gardens where these are found. Adult zebra butterflies feed on the nectar of passion flowers. Female zebras lay their pale-yellow eggs on the young growing tips of passion flower vines. When the caterpillars of the zebra butterfly hatch, they're golden and spiny-covered, but only about a tenth of an inch long. They hide by day and feed at night, growing quickly as they munch on the tender leaves. When a zebra caterpillar outgrows its skin, it sheds it, a process repeated about five times as the caterpillar matures. When the golden hatchling molts, it emerges as a striking white caterpillar with long black spines. The spines are harmless, but the caterpillar is not. As the zebra butterfly caterpillar grows, its body absorbs cyanide compounds from the passion flower leaves it eats, making it, and the zebra butterfly, a noxious morsel for would-be predators. The striking pattern of the zebra butterfly and its caterpillar are warnings that predators learn, and a valuable defense for the butterfly. ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Source: Zebra Butterflies 3
Length of Segment: 00:01:13
Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. If you see a zebra butterfly, you're also likely to find passion flowers nearby. The zebra has formed an intimate and fascinating relationship with passion flowers. Adult butterflies drink nectar from passion flowers and also feed on passion flower pollen. By adding the pollen to its diet, the zebra butterfly lengthens its life to about three months, during which time a female zebra can lay up to 1,000 eggs. She usually only deposits one or two at the tip of each passion flower vine. By spreading them out, the caterpillars are less conspicuous to would-be predators and less likely to do serious harm to the passion flower vine. Passion flowers have a chemical defense that protects them from being eaten by most insects: they produce cyanide compounds in their leaves. Caterpillars of zebra butterflies are able to cope with these plant chemicals and make use of them. They incorporate the chemicals into their own body, making themselves toxic to predators. So what's in it for the plant? In the course of their feeding, the zebra butterfly pollinates the passion flower, assuring future generations of both butterflies and passion flowers. ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Source: Zebra Butterflies 4
Length of Segment: 00:01:15
Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. If you see one zebra butterfly, you're likely to see others. These are truly social butterflies. There are often many in a small area, each making the rounds of passion flowers in search of nectar, pollen, and a mate. Prior to emerging as an adult butterfly, females begin producing chemicals that attract males. Two or three male zebras land near a female before she emerges, and wait. Even before the female has completely emerged, one of the waiting males will mate with her. He then smears her with a chemical that he produces that causes other males to go away, thus assuring that only he will father her offspring. As evening approaches, zebra butterflies seek a safe place to spend the night, usually on twigs or leaves. The same roost site will be used night after night and 60 or more zebras may gather at the same roost. If a predator finds the butterflies and eats one, it quickly learns that zebras taste bad and the rest are protected. The zebra butterfly gives new meaning to the old adage: 'There's safety in numbers'. Being alone or on the edge makes a zebra vulnerable; joining a roosting group and pushing your way to the center may provide the greatest safety. ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Source: Zebra Butterflies 5
Length of Segment: 00:01:14
Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. A zebra butterfly may take as little as 21 days to go from an egg to an adult butterfly. As a result, zebra butterflies can produce several generations per year. These butterflies are members of a largely tropical group and are intolerant of cold weather. Their numbers are greatest in South Florida, but as the season progresses, some individuals make their way northward. Adults feed on nectar and pollen of many plants, but they need passion flower as a site to lay their eggs. Caterpillars of zebra butterflies feed only on passion flower leaves. Florida has several native passion flowers, all of which attract the zebra butterfly, but some of which are in trouble as a result of habitat losses and small distributions. The white-flowered passion vine is a Florida endangered species found only in the Florida Keys where it grows in rockland hammock, 90% of which has been destroyed by development. The pale passion flower, a high-climbing white-flowered vine, is found in about twelve localities in South Florida. It is also native to rockland hammocks and a Florida endangered species that is suffering from habitat destruction and competition with exotic plants. ( English )
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- Resource Identifier:
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