It’s not often I get to draw these handsome butterflies up close – a chance glance at the ground, and I knew this was my next subject. Gulf fritillaries seem to be everywhere right now; usually we see the brilliant orange to chestnut top parts of their wings as they nectar or rest. Although this butterfly was somewhat battered, the bottom surface of the hindwing was in excellent shape. It’s hard to see this in my drawing, but the white-gray spots are a metallic silver. Beautiful!
Gulf Fritillaries use passionvine as their larval food source, which also happens to work well as a nectar plant!
You can click on the image above to view it on my Flickr photostream.
~ Elizabeth Smith, Naples, Florida, USA
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