A trip to Butterfly Estates, in downtown Fort Myers, on July 28, 2023, provided us with a great opportunity to finish raising white peacock butterflies, as they were closing their doors. I am happy to say we had our first peacock butterfly emerge today. The coloration of this butterfly is absolutely stunning! After I released it, it stuck around the garden for a while giving me ample opportunities to take photographs.

The white peacock is part of the Nymphalidae family, the brush-foot butterflies. Their wingspans can range from 3.5 to 6 cm. I read that male and female peacock butterflies do not differ in appearance. It’s also interesting that their coloring becomes paler during the winter months and are smaller and darker in the wet summer months.

According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation, males will pick out about 50 square feet full of host plants to defend it against other male butterflies in a hopes to find a female.

This species enjoys the warm weather, which might be why we see such an abundance in Southwest Florida. The temperatures are quite extreme right now.