Most of us do not think about butterflies when the morning temperatures are below freezing and frost is on the ground. However, last weekend I stumbled upon this Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) basking in the morning warmth of sunlight. This butterfly species is extremely common throughout the United States, southern Canada, and Central America. It inhabits open, neglected fields, grasslands, and areas of low vegetation.
The adults, of course, feed upon nectar, but also take fluids from damp earth ... a behavior that is most apparent during the warm seasons. Common Buckeyes exhibit seasonal polyphenism (a polyphenic trait is one for which discrete phenotypes can arise from a single genotype as a result of differing environmental conditions). Butterflies hatched during the summer months show light yellowish ventral wings and is called "linea", and the fall hatched form (morph) shows pinkish ventral wings and is called "rosa". This photo shows that pinkish coloration (even though slight) on the ventral wings.
The caterpillars feed upon a variety of herbaceous plants, especially those in the snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae) and the plantain family (Plantaginaceae).
