Zebra Longwing

Heliconius charithonia · Butterflies

Zebra Longwing, wings spread

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.

Zebra Longwing

Carlsbad, 7 March 2026

A Zebra Longwing at rest in the butterfly house, a butterfly of the American tropics that reaches north into Florida and Texas, where it lives in hammocks and gardens and is Florida's state butterfly.

Black wings barred in pale yellow-white, unmistakable, and one of the longest-lived butterflies known, surviving several months as an adult rather than the days or weeks typical of most species. That longevity is why the Heliconius have become a model group for studying butterfly memory: they live long enough to learn foraging routes and return to them daily.