Thursday, March 14, 2013
Goatweed Leafwing sounds like the perfect name for a cartoon character, but it is actually the name of a butterfly. The host plants for their caterpillar are crotons, such as the Texas Croton. One of the common names for croton is goatweed.
The goatweed leafwing I photographed on my walk at Walker Ranch Historic Landmark Natural Area on Wednesday (March 13, 2013) was particularly active and easy to see. Typically, these butterflies will perch with their wings folded. The underside of the wings look very much like dried leaves. This serves as a very effective camouflage:
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