Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia Hübner, [1822]
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is brown. Forewing with 2 orange cell bars and 2 eyespots; part of white subapical band appears in the largest, lower eyespot. Hindwing has 2 eyespots; upper one is largest and contains a magenta crescent. Underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) form and rose-red in the dry season (fall) form.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males perch during the day on low plants or bare ground to watch for females, flying periodically to patrol or to chase other flying insects. Females lay eggs singly on leaf buds or on upperside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary and eat leaves. Caterpillars and adults overwinter but only in the south.
Flight: Two to three broods from May-October, throughout the year in the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants from the snapdragon family including snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and toadflax (Linaria); the plantain family including plantains (Plantago); and the acanthus family including ruellia (Ruellia nodiflora).
Adult Food: Favorite nectar sources are composites including aster, chickory, gumweed, knapweed, and tickseed sunflower. Dogbane, peppermint, and other flowers are also visited.
Habitat: Open, sunny areas with low vegetation and some bare ground.
Range: Resident in the southern United States and north along the coasts to central California and North Carolina; south to Bermuda, Cuba, Isle of Pines, and southern Mexico. Adults from the south's first brood migrate north in late spring and summer to temporarily colonize most of the United States and parts of southern Canada. Comments: The eyespots may be used to scare away predators.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 8946 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 01, 2023
Submitted by: billmaciejko
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Apr 08, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 02, 2024
Observation date: Oct 16, 2023
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 01, 2024
Observation date: Jul 27, 2023
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Lyon County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Mar 15, 2024
Observation date: Mar 14, 2024
Submitted by: KShell
Region: Dixie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 14, 2024
Observation date: Jun 01, 1997
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Mar 03, 2024
Observation date: Jun 02, 2008
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Shelby County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Mar 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 21, 2008
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Mar 02, 2024
Observation date: Oct 06, 2023
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Eddy County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Feb 19, 2024
Observation date: Sep 06, 2012
Submitted by: DRLem23ME
Region: Kennebec County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 10, 2024
Observation date: Oct 04, 2023
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jan 26, 2024
Observation date: Oct 01, 2023
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jan 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2023
Submitted by: Quyen Edwards
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jan 17, 2024
Observation date: Dec 15, 2023
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Manatee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 30, 2023
Observation date: Aug 24, 2023
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 04, 2023
Observation date: Dec 01, 2023
Submitted by: Erik Stabl
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 02, 2023
Observation date: Nov 07, 2023
Submitted by: speele
Region: Pickens County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 26, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 1999
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Stearns County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Nov 25, 2023
Observation date: Nov 25, 2023
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 25, 2023
Observation date: Oct 25, 2023
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 11, 2023
Observation date: Oct 03, 2023
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Oct 16, 2023
Observation date: Oct 03, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 10, 2023
Observation date: Jul 02, 2023
Submitted by: hsmarshall
Region: Warren County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 09, 2023
Observation date: Nov 14, 2022
Submitted by: Jenmiller81
Region: Okaloosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 05, 2023
- ‹ previous
- 5 of 373
- next ›