The gulf fritillary caterpillar munching away on a corky stem passion vine. It looks like it may be in its last instar. It will soon head off to find the perfect destination for its chrysalis.
After hatching from an egg, the caterpillar will spend the next 11 to 16 days eating.
A gulf fritillary’s egg is yellow and can be found on either the maypop passion vine (pictured above), or the corky stem passion vine, both of which are the host plant for this butterfly.
The egg will hatch three to five days after being laid. The caterpillar will spend up to 16 days eating.
Check out my page to learn more about the gulf fritillary and all of its stages from egg to butterfly at https://bit.ly/3vMyhbM.
The gulf fritillary loves visiting our garden during the morning hours. This morning I watched a female drink from five nectar plants, all different varieties, before laying eggs on two different host plants. The female has a larger wingspan of a male and is somewhat darker with more extensive markings.
An interesting fact, the gulf fritillary is part of the “brush-footed” butterfly family. A family that has short hairs on the front of its legs.
According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation the gulf fritillary will release chemicals of “an unpleasant odor” from its abdominal glands when it is disturbed. This helps in protecting itself from becoming a snack to birds and other predators. The host plant of the gulf fritillary contains toxins, which stays in the body through the butterfly stage and can become “lethal” to predators that do not have the same immunities.
As always here’s a link to my page on the gulf fritillary life cycle, complete with photos from our garden https://sweetbutterflybliss.com/gulf-fritillary/?frame-nonce=055550061c