As we said in the chapter on Classification, American butterflies fall naturally into four great groups called families: the Nymphalidae or Four-footed family, the Lycaenidae or Gossamer-winged family, the Papilionidae or Swallowtail family, and the Hesperiidae or Skipper family.
The largest family of butterflies in America is the Nymphalidae, and its members are called four-footed butterflies because the front legs are so small as to be useless, leaving only four walking feet. Most of the butterflies are large or medium-sized, the caterpillars are usually provided with spines or fleshy protuberances, and the chrysalids are always suspended by the tail. The family is divided into five subfamilies; the Euploeinae, the Heliconiinae, the Nymphalinae, the Satyrinae, and the Libytheinae.
So far as the great majority of readers are concerned, this subfamily includes but one species—Anosia plexippus, the familiar Monarch or Milkweed butterfly, which is common every summer in every state in the Union. The main color of the wings is bright reddish brown, but the edges are black, and there are some white spots in the black area, particularly in the fore wings. The pale green eggs are laid upon the milkweed, and soon hatch into little black and white caterpillars. The mature caterpillar is greenish yellow with black bands, and each end of the body bears a pair of slender black “horns” or filaments. The stout chrysalis is green with golden markings. This butterfly has a bitter taste, and so is not molested by birds or insectivorous mammals. For this reason Anosia plexippus has become very abundant and spread over a vast territory. Other butterflies which happen to resemble it share in this protection even though they have no disagreeable flavor, and this has given rise to the phenomena of mimicry, which is discussed elsewhere in this book. Another interesting thing about the Monarch is the fact that it does not hibernate in any stage; the eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalids die when the cold weather overtakes them, while the adults gather in great swarms and migrate southward, where they breed continuously throughout the winter. With the advent of warm weather the young southern Monarchs come north, deposit their eggs on northern milkweed, and the cycle begins again.
Fig. III.—The Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus tityrus), a typical Hesperid. A, egg; B, mature caterpillar; C, pupa or chrysalis; D, imago.
This is a tropical subfamily, and has only one representative within the borders of the United States. Heliconius charitonius, the Zebra butterfly, is a slender, long-winged, black-and-yellow species common along the roadsides of southern Florida. This butterfly has such an evil taste and odor that no known animal will eat it. The eggs are deposited upon the passion-flower vine; the young larva is hairy, but the mature caterpillar is provided with a great number of branching spines. The chrysalis is dark brown and of an odd shape; it makes a peculiar creaking sound by moving its abdomen. Another interesting fact about this Zebra butterfly is that the males are attracted to female chrysalids, and may be seen hovering about waiting for their mates to emerge.
This is the largest of all the subfamilies, numbering more than a hundred and seventy species in the United States. They are mostly large or of medium size, and include many of the commonest and most conspicuous butterflies we have. One of the most interesting members of this group is Dione vanillae, the Red Silverspot. The wings are bright red on the upper surface, with black veins and markings; the under side shows a spangled effect of brown and silver. The wings are unusually long, and the butterfly has a disagreeable odor which protects it from its enemies; these and other facts have led some lepidopterists to class this butterfly with the Heliconians. The eggs are reddish brown in color, and are found on the passion-vine; the caterpillar is marked with orange and drab, and bears six rows of branching spines. The chrysalis has an unusual form due to a pronounced dorsal depression; it is usually a grayish tan in color. Dione vanillae is found in the whole southern half of the United States, being especially abundant about New Orleans, and in southern California. W. H. Edwards took a specimen at Coalburg, West Virginia, and it has been reported from as far north as Worcester, Mass.
Grapta interrogationis, the Question Mark butterfly, is common in all parts of the United States except the Pacific coast region. The upper sides of both wings are reddish brown, spotted with dark brown and edged with a faint violet color. The peculiar angular shape of the fore wings, and the little tails on the hind wings, are the outstanding characteristics of the Question Mark and its relatives. The under side of the wings shows a mottled light brown, like a dead leaf; on the under side of the hind wing is found the silver mark resembling a Greek interrogation point (something like the English semicolon) which gave the butterfly its name. The eggs are deposited on elm trees, hop-vines, and several kinds of nettles. The caterpillar is reddish in color, covered with branching spines. The chrysalis is brown or greenish, with a conspicuous protuberance in the thoracic region.
Vanessa antiopa, the Mourning Cloak butterfly, may be remembered as the first butterfly to be seen in the early Spring. The upper surface of the wings is a rich reddish purple, with a yellow border and a row of blue spots just inside it. The under side is gray, and blends perfectly with the dead twigs upon which the butterfly is accustomed to perch. The eggs are laid in clusters on the elm, willow, and poplar trees; the dark, spiny caterpillars live in small colonies, and spin a sort of web among the leaves of the food plant. The chrysalid is much like that of the Question Mark butterfly. In the autumn the Mourning Cloak crawls into a hollow tree or under a bit of loose bark and sleeps all through the winter, often flying in the Spring before the snow has melted, and long before the first leaves have appeared.
Junonia coenia, the Peacock butterfly, is a medium-sized butterfly with an expanse of about two and one-fourth inches. The large eye-spots on both wings give it a characteristic appearance, very different from any other butterfly in this country. It occurs in all parts of the United States, but is somewhat rare in the northern part of its range. The dark green eggs are deposited on various kinds of plantain; the caterpillar is dark and covered with spines; the chrysalis generally light brown, and has a conspicuous depression in the ventral thorax. This butterfly is conspicuous for its pugnacity; it will drive away any other species which chances to approach, and even dart at stones or other objects thrown in the air.
Basilarchia disippus, the Viceroy butterfly, looks very much like Anosia plexippus the Monarch, except for a single transverse black band on the hind wings. The eggs are laid upon willow or poplar leaves; the caterpillar has no spines, but there are two club-shaped appendages just back of the head; the chrysalis is light gray with brown spots, and has a fin-like projection on back of the thorax. The Viceroy spends the winter in the larval state. When cold weather sets in the caterpillar anchors a leaf to the twig by means of silken threads, then rolls himself up in the leaf and sleeps until the following Spring.
Chlorippe celtis, the Hackberry butterfly, is smaller than most of the common four-footed butterflies, its expanse being less than two inches. The general color of the wings is gray, but the outer part of the fore wings is black with broken rows of white spots. There is a little red tinge about an eye-spot in the fore wing, and five such spots are located near the outer edge of the hind wing. The female is slightly larger than the male, and somewhat less pronounced in color. The eggs are deposited in clusters on the hackberry trees; the caterpillar bears a pair of antler-like appendages on its head; the chrysalis is stockily built, with the head deeply notched. The Hackberry butterfly is found in all the Southern States east of the Rockies, and has been reported as far north as southern Pennsylvania. It is double-brooded in the middle west, the last caterpillars hibernate and do not reach maturity until the next year.
The members of this subfamily are medium-sized, obscurely colored, forest-loving butterflies, conspicuous because of their peculiar manner of flopping about in the grass and low herbage.
Satyrus alope, the Wood-nymph butterfly, is a medium-sized grayish brown species, with a broad yellow band across the fore wing. This yellow area contains two eye-spots, dark with blue centers, and in the male there is a smaller eye-spot in the hind wing also. There is a good deal of regional variation in this species: specimens from the Northwest are often small and dark, with a reddish tinge on the lower side of the wings; while in those from northern New England and eastern Canada the yellow band is very dim, and the eye-spots are only vaguely indicated. The eggs are barrel-shaped, and are laid upon various kinds of grasses; the caterpillar has two slender diverging anal horns; the chrysalis is green, with a prominent tubercle on the thorax. The Wood-nymph is not a strong flyer, but flits about in a furtive, moth-like fashion; if pursued it will often close the wings and fall like a leaf into the grass. These butterflies are usually single brooded, and pass the winter in the larval state.
The butterflies of this subfamily are easily recognized by the very long projecting palpi, which have the appearance of a beak or snout. Libythea bachmanni, the common Snout-butterfly, is a small, reddish brown species, with three or four white spots near the tip of the fore wing. The eggs are found upon Hackberry leaves; the caterpillar has a small head and two or three enlarged thoracic segments; the chrysalis has a sharply pointed head and a conical abdomen. This species probably spends the winter in the chrysalis condition.
THE GOSSAMER-WINGED BUTTERFLIES
The Lycaenidae is the family of delicate little butterflies known as “blues,” “coppers,” and “hair-streaks.” Metallic blue, red, and grey are the predominating colors, and the “hair-streaks” usually have an orange spot on the hind wings. The males of this family do not use the first pair of legs in walking, but the females walk with all six feet. The caterpillars are small and usually slug-shaped, and the chrysalids are held closely to some supporting object by a girdle of silk.
Lycaena pseudargiolus is the common little blue butterfly found in every part of the United States except the far West. It is extremely subject to seasonal and geographic variations, seven or eight distinct varieties having been described. The wings of some specimens are almost black, others are a very pale blue, while still others combine the blue ground-color with a broad black border. The eggs are laid upon a great variety of plants; the caterpillars are very small and slug-shaped, and usually feed upon flowers instead of leaves. The caterpillar produces a sweet liquid which attracts ants, and it is said that these ants protect the caterpillar from minute parasitic flies which would otherwise destroy it.
Feniseca tarquinus, the Wanderer, is perhaps the most interesting of the so-called copper butterflies. The Wanderer’s wings are orange brown, spotted with black on the upper side. It is found all over the eastern half of the United States, extending well into the Mississippi valley. The butterfly is remarkable in that it does not frequent flowers, but flits about colonies of plant-lice, and lives upon the sweet excrement of these insects. The eggs are laid among the plant-lice also, and the caterpillar is carnivorous—the only caterpillar in North America which feeds upon plant-lice instead of plants. The chrysalis is small, brown in color, and bears a striking resemblance to the face of a miniature monkey.
Thecla melinus, the common Hair-streak, is a dark bluish gray, with a deep orange spot just in front of two tiny tails on the hind wing. It is found all over temperate North America. The turban-shaped eggs are usually deposited on the hop-vine; the caterpillar is a slug-like creature with a small head, which can be extended to a remarkable extent. The brown chrysalis lies close to the surface to which it is attached, being fastened both at the tail and by a slight silken girdle about the middle.
THE SWALLOWTAILS AND THEIR ALLIES
The family Papilionidae includes many of the commonest and showiest of our butterflies. The adults of both sexes have six ambulatory feet; the caterpillars are elongate; the chrysalids are attached at the tail and held in place by a silken girdle, but never fastened close to the supporting surface, as the Lycaenids are. The Papilionidae is divided into two subfamilies: the Pierinae and the Papilioninae.
This is the subfamily of the small and medium-sized butterflies, white and yellow in color, so common about pastures and roadsides. Pieris rapae, the cabbage butterfly, is one of the most familiar species. It is a white butterfly, with one or two black dots and tips on the fore wings. The pale yellow eggs are deposited on cabbage plants; the smooth green caterpillar eats an enormous amount of sauerkraut material, and turns into a gray or brownish chrysalis. This butterfly was originally a European species; imported through some accident, it appeared in Quebec about 1860. As early as 1868 it was common about New York, and by 1881 had spread to all of the eastern states. In 1886 it was reported from Denver, and has since taken possession of cabbage-fields in every part of the country.
Fig. IV.—The Zebra Swallowtail (Papilio ajax), a typical representative of the subfamily Papilioninae. A, egg; B, mature larva; C, pupa or chrysalis (note the silken girdle); D, imago or adult.
Colias philodice, the Common Yellow, is the butterfly seen swarming about roadside mud-puddles in August and September. The wings are lemon color with black borders, and in the female the borders are usually broken by several small yellow spots. The yellow or reddish eggs are laid upon various kinds of clover; the slender green caterpillar is exactly the color of the leaves; the chrysalis is usually pale green also. This butterfly is found from New England to Florida, and as far west as the Rocky Mountains.
Terias lisa is another yellow butterfly, much smaller than Colias philodice, rarely expanding more than an inch and a quarter. The wings are lemon yellow with black borders, subject to many minor variations. The caterpillar feeds on clover, but the early stages of this species have never been thoroughly studied, despite the fact that the butterfly is common from the New England states to the Rockies.
Terias mexicana, the Mexican Yellow, is larger than Terias lisa, and somewhat paler in color. The black borders or the fore wings are very wide and indented, and the hind wings are pointed. Very little is known of its early stages. It is common in Texas, Arizona, and Southern California, and often strays much farther north. I have myself taken a number of specimens in Kansas.
This is the subfamily of the true swallowtails, the largest and most distinctive of American butterflies. The hind wings are prolonged into two tail-like projections, and are characterized, by the absence of the internal vein. The caterpillars are all provided with peculiar V-shaped scent-organs called osmateria; these organs are thrust out just back of the head when the insect is disturbed, and give off an offensive odor, supposed to discomfit birds and other enemies.
Papilio troilus, the Green-clouded Swallowtail, is velvety black with a row of yellow spots along the margin of the fore wings. The marginal spots on the hind wing are pale green, and the whole outer half of the hind wing is clouded with the same greenish tinge. The female deposits her eggs on sassafras and spicebush leaves; the caterpillar is lead-colored or greenish, with a swollen thorax bearing two large eye-spots, and lives in a nest made of a folded leaf. Papilio troilus is common throughout the Atlantic States and in the Mississippi Valley.
Papilio turnus, the Tiger Swallowtail, is the magnificent yellow-and-black species found in practically every part of the United States. In the northern portion of its range the male and female appear very much alike, but in the South there are two distinct types of females. One female is black-and-yellow like its northern sisters; the other is black-and-blue, with no yellow at all except a few small crescents in the outer border of the hind wing. The black female, was for a long while considered a distinct species and called Papilio glaucus. Later, however, it was discovered that some of the eggs laid by the yellow turnus produced the black glaucus females, and that, conversely, the eggs of glaucus often produced the ordinary yellow-and-black Tiger Swallowtail. The smooth bluish-green eggs are usually found on the wild cherry leaves; the caterpillar is green, with enlarged thoracic segments bearing two large eye-spots like those of Papilio troilus.
Papilio ajax, the Zebra Swallowtail, is another striking member of this magnificent subfamily. The combination of green and black stripes, the blue and red crescents and the long tails on the hind wings, distinguish ajax immediately from any of its splendid fellows. There are at least three slightly different seasonal varieties of this butterfly, due probably to differences in the temperature to which the chrysalids are exposed. The butterfly may often be seen hovering about pawpaw bushes, upon which the eggs are deposited. The mature caterpillar is pea-green with bands of yellow and black; the chrysalis is green or brownish, and the last crop of chrysalids does not produce butterflies until the following Spring. This butterfly ranges from New England south to the Florida Keys, and west to the foot-hills of the Rockies.
Papilio cresphontes, the Giant Swallowtail, is the largest butterfly in this country, measuring nearly six inches from tip to tip. The color is dark brown with bands and blotches of bright yellow, and there is a red-and-blue spot on the inner margin of the hind wings. The under side of both wings is yellow, with narrow dark brown bands. This butterfly is very common in Florida, where the caterpillars—the natives call them orange-dogs—do a great deal of damage to the orange and lemon trees. Each female butterfly is known to lay a great number of eggs, and it has been suggested that the ravages of the orange-dog may be checked by shooting the butterflies on the wing with miniature shotguns. In recent years the species has extended its range northward, and has become quite common in the Middle West; a number of specimens have been taken in New England, and even in Canada. In the northern part of its territory there are no citrus trees, but the caterpillar feeds well enough upon prickly ash and several kinds of poplars.
The Hesperiidae or Skipper family includes all the large bodied, small-winged, moth-like butterflies, called Skippers because of their jerky, erratic manner of flight. They are mostly small, dull colored butterflies with short, hooked antennae. The caterpillars are recognized by their large heads and small necks, and usually live in nests made of leaves fastened together with silk. The chrysalids are rounded and moth-like, and (unlike all the other families) are usually enclosed in a loose cocoon of silk. The classification of Skippers is a complicated business; the Hesperiidae is the only family in which the beginner will find it difficult to identify his specimens.
Epargyreus tityrus, the Silver-spotted Skipper, is the largest member of the family, with an expanse of about one and three-fourths inches. The general color is dark brown, with yellowish spots; the common name is derived from the silver area on the lower surface of the hind wing, which shows when the insect is at rest. The caterpillar is yellowish green, with a dark brown head; it feeds upon the leaves of the locust and other leguminous trees. When the caterpillar is mature it leaves its hammock in the locust tree and builds a light silken cocoon upon or near the ground. The Silver-spotted Skipper is found in nearly every part of the United States.
Fig. V.—The Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae). This butterfly was brought over from Europe about 1860, and has spread to every part of the United States and Canada. A, egg; B, caterpillar; C chrysalis; D, imago.
Atalopedes huron, the Sachem Skipper, is a little golden brown species, with an expanse of a little more than an inch. The male has a darker area in the center of the front wing, while in the female the fore wing is marked by several small white spots. When at rest this skipper and its near relatives usually elevate the fore wings and depress the hind wings, an attitude characteristic of this group. The dark, cylindrical caterpillar feeds upon various grasses: the chrysalis is slender, with a little swelling upon the thorax, and the tongue sheath is free as in the pupae of moths. The Sachem is known from New York to Florida, and as far west as eastern Colorado.
Ancyloxipha numitor, the Least Skipper, is the smallest butterfly within our borders, measuring often less than three-fourths of an inch from tip to tip. The slender body and hookless antennae distinguish it from all other skippers. The general color is bright reddish brown, the hind wings being particularly brilliant, and surrounded by a darker border. Its flight is weak and wavering, and it rests often among grasses at the edges of creeks or swamps. The yellow eggs are laid on grasses; the tiny yellow caterpillar has a black head and a body covered with bristles, and lives in a rolled-up blade of grass. The chrysalis is reddish, with small black dots. The Least Skipper is widely distributed everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains.
