Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Pink Cattleheart or Transandean Butterfly... December, 2010

pink cattleheart butterfly on Pentas blossom cluster
After quite a bit of "googling" around, I believe I've identified this as Parides iphidamas whose common names are Pink Cattleheart or Transandean. As near as I can tell from having studied several different web sites and images, this is a female of the species.

There seems to be quite a bit of variability in the coloring and markings of this species and I'm by no means an expert! So I trust someone out there will correct me if I've misidentified this one. :-) It is resting on a Pentas blossom cluster... and I do know that Pentas blossoms are a favorite of butterflies everywhere they bloom so have vowed to have more of them in my garden in 2011. (Unfortunately, they are an annual flowering plant and are fairly expensive but I simply must find ways to attract more butterflies to my garden and don't have the room for a butterfly bush!)

5 comments:

  1. What a beauty that is! I've never seen one but would sure like to! Great photo!

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  2. Superb details. Wishing you a wonderful new year Victoria.

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  3. Oh, my. Another beautiful butterfly! I guess I need to look into Pentas flowers as well (I don't recognize the flower at all...

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  4. She's definitely a beauty, Victoria. Look at how she seems to be picking up the colors of the Pentas blossoms. I like that. :)

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  5. @montucky, as is the case with all the butterflies that we saw in the Butterfly Conservatory of the National Museum of American History in NYC, this is a tropical species... so you'll have to venture south (or to a conservatory somewhere) if you want to see one!

    @Kala, Kateri and Ginnie... thanks so much for stopping by!

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