This is the same individual, but with natural light instead of the camera's flash. Adults and caterpillars winter over in the south. Range: East coast into portions of the midwest; scattered in the south midwest into California; absent in the Pacific NW and upper northern midwestern states. This Butterfly's Caterpillar. We know this is a Brush-Footed Butterfly Caterpillar in the family Nymphalidae, but we needed to determine the species. Common Buckeye – Junonia coenia Common Buckeye butterflies are found in the southern half of the US and the eastern side of the northern half of the United States. TheMangrove Buckeye Junonia genoveva is found in the southwestern United States and in the southern tip of Florida. The pattern above is quite striking, but these butterflies are often not looked at closely because they're so abundant. Order: Lepidoptera Family: Nymphalidae Genus: Junonia Junonia coenia (also known as Precis coenia) is a beautiful butterfly with conspicuous eyespots on both the fore- and hind-wings. When I went inside and looked up the caterpillars in my handy-dandy caterpillar guide, I decided that these were probably common buckeye cats (Junonia coenia), a highly variable species of (butterfly) caterpillar that is known to feed on plants in the snapdragon family, including toadflax. Common Buckeye Caterpillar. Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date. Status: Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) is the most widespread member of this mostly tropical genus.The large, impressive eyespots, colorful red bars, and orange patches make this a striking butterfly species. Photos with comments are indicated by … The 1990-95 Connecticut Atlas workers observed Buckeye ovipositing on lance-leaved plantain in the wild, and the caterpillars have been successfully raised on it many times, for example by caterpillar photographer Sam Jaffe in July 2011. He raised caterpillars in a lab and demonstrated that both temperature and daylength contribute to the effect — and that either can produce the red on its own. Click to Enlarge (opens a new window). Caterpillars feed on plantain, snapdragon, Gerardia spp. Common Buckeye is one of the most common and widespread butterflies in the United States. This butterfly is most common to the south, but it is a strong disperser, and may occur in substantial numbers, especially during migration events. The coloration of the Common Buckeye’s outside hind wing early in the season is mostly tan, with prominent eye spots. Common Buckeye Caterpillar Location: Newport News, VA August 2, 2010 5:45 pm An accompaniment to the Common Buckeye butterfly posted earlier today, here’s its caterpillar, happily chewing up all the snapdragons in the yard! Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) Photos. Junonia coenia, Common Buckeye, is a butterfly that can't survive cold winters. Territorial Area Map (Visual Reference Guide) The map below showcases (in blue) the states and territories of North America where the Common Buckeye Butterfly may be found (but is not limited to). Family: Brushfoot (Nymphalidae) Life History: Two to three broods May to October; year round in the south. and Wild Petunia. Fringeleaf Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis) a caterpillar food plant for Common Buckeye butterflies. Naturally it's up to members from subtropical and tropical parts of the world to repopulate their norther range each year. Near Florida City, Miami-Dade Co., FL 6/23/2010. Common Buckeye Junonia coenia. Tropic There are two similar species. Dear Anna, We tried to identify your caterpillar this weekend, but we were having trouble accessing BugGuide. This species occurs through much of the United States, northern Mexico and Cuba, and frequents open, sunny habitats with some bare ground. Even the caterpillars die after the first frost. Allegheny Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens), a caterpillar food plant for Common Buckeye butterflies.