Zebra Longwing, wings spread
Heliconius charithonia
Zebra Longwing · Carlsbad · 7 March 2026
A Zebra Longwing with the wings spread on the mesh of the butterfly house. In the wild it is a butterfly of the American tropics that reaches Florida, where it roosts communally at night in the hammocks, dozens to a branch, returning to the same roost each evening.
Florida's state butterfly, and one of the longest-lived of any species: adults can survive several months rather than the usual few weeks, because unlike most butterflies they eat pollen as well as nectar, scraping it with the proboscis and absorbing the amino acids that fuel continued egg production.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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