Gulf Fritillary
Dione vanillae

f22 @ 1/200s, ISO:1250, Nikon D3S w 105mm macro


"Gulf Fritillary," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly (Dione vanillae) is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae are "longwing butterflies", which have long, narrow wings compared to other butterflies. It is most commonly found in the southern areas of the United States, specifically in many regions of Florida and Texas.In its adult form, the gulf fritillary is a medium-sized butterfly that has extended forewings and a wingspan range of 6.5 to 9.5 cm. This butterfly exhibits sexual dimorphism as females are typically distinctively larger in size than males. The underside of the wings is brown and speckled with silvery white dots. In contrast, the top surface layer of the wings is deep orange in color with black streaks running across.
Amelia Island, Florida
 
10/05/2023