THE FOUR FAMILIES
As we said in the chapter on Classification, American butterflies fall
naturally into four great groups called families: the _Nymphalidae_ or
Four-footed family, the _Lycaenidae_ or Gossamer-winged family, the
_Papilionidae_ or Swallowtail family, and the _Hesperiidae_ or Skipper
family.
THE FOUR-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES
The largest family of butterflies in America is the _Nymphalidae_, and
its members are called four-footed butterflies because the front legs
are so small as to be useless, leaving only four walking feet. Most of
the butterflies are large or medium-sized, the caterpillars are usually
provided with spines or fleshy protuberances, and the chrysalids
are always suspended by the tail. The family is divided into five
subfamilies; the _Euploeinae_, the _Heliconiinae_, the _Nymphalinae_,
the _Satyrinae_, and the _Libytheinae_.
THE EUPLOEINAE
[Illustration: Fig. III.--The Silver-Spotted Skipper (_Epargyreus
tityrus_), a typical Hesperid. A, egg; B, mature caterpillar; C, pupa
or chrysalis; D, imago.]
So far as the great majority of readers are concerned, this subfamily
includes but one species--_Anosia plexippus_, the familiar Monarch or
Milkweed butterfly, which is common every summer in every state in the
Union. The main color of the wings is bright reddish brown, but the
edges are black, and there are some white spots in the black area,
particularly in the fore wings. The pale green eggs are laid upon the
milkweed, and soon hatch into little black and white caterpillars. The
mature caterpillar is greenish yellow with black bands, and each end
of the body bears a pair of slender black “horns” or _filaments_. The
stout chrysalis is green with golden markings. This butterfly has a
bitter taste, and so is not molested by birds or insectivorous mammals.
For this reason _Anosia plexippus_ has become very abundant and spread
over a vast territory. Other butterflies which happen to resemble
it share in this protection even though they have no disagreeable
flavor, and this has given rise to the phenomena of _mimicry_, which is
discussed elsewhere in this book. Another interesting thing about the
Monarch is the fact that it does not hibernate in any stage; the eggs,
caterpillars, and chrysalids die when the cold weather overtakes them,
while the adults gather in great swarms and migrate southward, where
they breed continuously throughout the winter. With the advent of warm
weather the young southern Monarchs come north, deposit their eggs on
northern milkweed, and the cycle begins again.
THE HELICONIANS
This is a tropical subfamily, and has only one representative within
the borders of the United States. _Heliconius charitonius_, the Zebra
butterfly, is a slender, long-winged, black-and-yellow species common
along the roadsides of southern Florida. This butterfly has such an
evil taste and odor that no known animal will eat it. The eggs are
deposited upon the passion-flower vine; the young larva is hairy, but
the mature caterpillar is provided with a great number of branching
spines. The chrysalis is dark brown and of an odd shape; it makes a
peculiar creaking sound by moving its abdomen. Another interesting fact
about this Zebra butterfly is that the males are attracted to female
chrysalids, and may be seen hovering about waiting for their mates to
emerge.
THE NYMPHALINAE
This is the largest of all the subfamilies, numbering more than a
hundred and seventy species in the United States. They are mostly
large or of medium size, and include many of the commonest and most
conspicuous butterflies we have. One of the most interesting members
of this group is _Dione vanillae_, the Red Silverspot. The wings are
bright red on the upper surface, with black veins and markings; the
under side shows a spangled effect of brown and silver. The wings
are unusually long, and the butterfly has a disagreeable odor which
protects it from its enemies; these and other facts have led some
lepidopterists to class this butterfly with the Heliconians. The
eggs are reddish brown in color, and are found on the passion-vine;
the caterpillar is marked with orange and drab, and bears six rows
of branching spines. The chrysalis has an unusual form due to a
pronounced dorsal depression; it is usually a grayish tan in color.
_Dione vanillae_ is found in the whole southern half of the United
States, being especially abundant about New Orleans, and in southern
California. W. H. Edwards took a specimen at Coalburg, West Virginia,
and it has been reported from as far north as Worcester, Mass.
_Grapta interrogationis_, the Question Mark butterfly, is common in
all parts of the United States except the Pacific coast region. The
upper sides of both wings are reddish brown, spotted with dark brown
and edged with a faint violet color. The peculiar angular shape of the
fore wings, and the little tails on the hind wings, are the outstanding
characteristics of the Question Mark and its relatives. The under side
of the wings shows a mottled light brown, like a dead leaf; on the
under side of the hind wing is found the silver mark resembling a Greek
interrogation point (something like the English semicolon) which gave
the butterfly its name. The eggs are deposited on elm trees, hop-vines,
and several kinds of nettles. The caterpillar is reddish in color,
covered with branching spines. The chrysalis is brown or greenish, with
a conspicuous protuberance in the thoracic region.
_Vanessa antiopa_, the Mourning Cloak butterfly, may be remembered as
the first butterfly to be seen in the early Spring. The upper surface
of the wings is a rich reddish purple, with a yellow border and a
row of blue spots just inside it. The under side is gray, and blends
perfectly with the dead twigs upon which the butterfly is accustomed
to perch. The eggs are laid in clusters on the elm, willow, and poplar
trees; the dark, spiny caterpillars live in small colonies, and spin a
sort of web among the leaves of the food plant. The chrysalid is much
like that of the Question Mark butterfly. In the autumn the Mourning
Cloak crawls into a hollow tree or under a bit of loose bark and sleeps
all through the winter, often flying in the Spring before the snow has
melted, and long before the first leaves have appeared.
_Junonia coenia_, the Peacock butterfly, is a medium-sized butterfly
with an expanse of about two and one-fourth inches. The large
eye-spots on both wings give it a characteristic appearance, very
different from any other butterfly in this country. It occurs in all
parts of the United States, but is somewhat rare in the northern part
of its range. The dark green eggs are deposited on various kinds
of plantain; the caterpillar is dark and covered with spines; the
chrysalis generally light brown, and has a conspicuous depression in
the ventral thorax. This butterfly is conspicuous for its pugnacity; it
will drive away any other species which chances to approach, and even
dart at stones or other objects thrown in the air.
_Basilarchia disippus_, the Viceroy butterfly, looks very much like
_Anosia plexippus_ the Monarch, except for a single transverse black
band on the hind wings. The eggs are laid upon willow or poplar leaves;
the caterpillar has no spines, but there are two club-shaped appendages
just back of the head; the chrysalis is light gray with brown spots,
and has a fin-like projection on back of the thorax. The Viceroy
spends the winter in the larval state. When cold weather sets in the
caterpillar anchors a leaf to the twig by means of silken threads, then
rolls himself up in the leaf and sleeps until the following Spring.
_Chlorippe celtis_, the Hackberry butterfly, is smaller than most of
the common four-footed butterflies, its expanse being less than two
inches. The general color of the wings is gray, but the outer part of
the fore wings is black with broken rows of white spots. There is a
little red tinge about an eye-spot in the fore wing, and five such
spots are located near the outer edge of the hind wing. The female
is slightly larger than the male, and somewhat less pronounced in
color. The eggs are deposited in clusters on the hackberry trees;
the caterpillar bears a pair of antler-like appendages on its head;
the chrysalis is stockily built, with the head deeply notched. The
Hackberry butterfly is found in all the Southern States east of the
Rockies, and has been reported as far north as southern Pennsylvania.
It is double-brooded in the middle west, the last caterpillars
hibernate and do not reach maturity until the next year.
THE SATYRINAE
The members of this subfamily are medium-sized, obscurely colored,
forest-loving butterflies, conspicuous because of their peculiar manner
of flopping about in the grass and low herbage.
_Satyrus alope_, the Wood-nymph butterfly, is a medium-sized grayish
brown species, with a broad yellow band across the fore wing. This
yellow area contains two eye-spots, dark with blue centers, and in
the male there is a smaller eye-spot in the hind wing also. There is
a good deal of regional variation in this species: specimens from the
Northwest are often small and dark, with a reddish tinge on the lower
side of the wings; while in those from northern New England and eastern
Canada the yellow band is very dim, and the eye-spots are only vaguely
indicated. The eggs are barrel-shaped, and are laid upon various kinds
of grasses; the caterpillar has two slender diverging anal horns;
the chrysalis is green, with a prominent tubercle on the thorax.
The Wood-nymph is not a strong flyer, but flits about in a furtive,
moth-like fashion; if pursued it will often close the wings and fall
like a leaf into the grass. These butterflies are usually single
brooded, and pass the winter in the larval state.
THE LIBYTHEINAE
The butterflies of this subfamily are easily recognized by the very
long projecting palpi, which have the appearance of a beak or snout.
_Libythea bachmanni_, the common Snout-butterfly, is a small, reddish
brown species, with three or four white spots near the tip of the fore
wing. The eggs are found upon Hackberry leaves; the caterpillar has a
small head and two or three enlarged thoracic segments; the chrysalis
has a sharply pointed head and a conical abdomen. This species probably
spends the winter in the chrysalis condition.
THE GOSSAMER-WINGED BUTTERFLIES
The Lycaenidae is the family of delicate little butterflies known as
“blues,” “coppers,” and “hair-streaks.” Metallic blue, red, and grey
are the predominating colors, and the “hair-streaks” usually have an
orange spot on the hind wings. The males of this family do not use the
first pair of legs in walking, but the females walk with all six feet.
The caterpillars are small and usually slug-shaped, and the chrysalids
are held closely to some supporting object by a girdle of silk.
THE LYCAENINAE
_Lycaena pseudargiolus_ is the common little blue butterfly found in
every part of the United States except the far West. It is extremely
subject to seasonal and geographic variations, seven or eight distinct
varieties having been described. The wings of some specimens are almost
black, others are a very pale blue, while still others combine the blue
ground-color with a broad black border. The eggs are laid upon a great
variety of plants; the caterpillars are very small and slug-shaped,
and usually feed upon flowers instead of leaves. The caterpillar
produces a sweet liquid which attracts ants, and it is said that these
ants protect the caterpillar from minute parasitic flies which would
otherwise destroy it.
_Feniseca tarquinus_, the Wanderer, is perhaps the most interesting
of the so-called copper butterflies. The Wanderer’s wings are orange
brown, spotted with black on the upper side. It is found all over
the eastern half of the United States, extending well into the
Mississippi valley. The butterfly is remarkable in that it does not
frequent flowers, but flits about colonies of plant-lice, and lives
upon the sweet excrement of these insects. The eggs are laid among
the plant-lice also, and the caterpillar is carnivorous--the only
caterpillar in North America which feeds upon plant-lice instead of
plants. The chrysalis is small, brown in color, and bears a striking
resemblance to the face of a miniature monkey.
_Thecla melinus_, the common Hair-streak, is a dark bluish gray, with
a deep orange spot just in front of two tiny tails on the hind wing.
It is found all over temperate North America. The turban-shaped eggs
are usually deposited on the hop-vine; the caterpillar is a slug-like
creature with a small head, which can be extended to a remarkable
extent. The brown chrysalis lies close to the surface to which it is
attached, being fastened both at the tail and by a slight silken girdle
about the middle.
THE SWALLOWTAILS AND THEIR ALLIES
The family _Papilionidae_ includes many of the commonest and showiest
of our butterflies. The adults of both sexes have six ambulatory feet;
the caterpillars are elongate; the chrysalids are attached at the tail
and held in place by a silken girdle, but never fastened close to the
supporting surface, as the Lycaenids are. The Papilionidae is divided
into two subfamilies: the _Pierinae_ and the _Papilioninae_.
THE PIERINAE
This is the subfamily of the small and medium-sized butterflies, white
and yellow in color, so common about pastures and roadsides. _Pieris
rapae_, the cabbage butterfly, is one of the most familiar species.
It is a white butterfly, with one or two black dots and tips on the
fore wings. The pale yellow eggs are deposited on cabbage plants;
the smooth green caterpillar eats an enormous amount of sauerkraut
material, and turns into a gray or brownish chrysalis. This butterfly
was originally a European species; imported through some accident, it
appeared in Quebec about 1860. As early as 1868 it was common about
New York, and by 1881 had spread to all of the eastern states. In
1886 it was reported from Denver, and has since taken possession of
cabbage-fields in every part of the country.
[Illustration: Fig. IV.--The Zebra Swallowtail (_Papilio ajax_), a
typical representative of the subfamily Papilioninae. A, egg; B, mature
larva; C, pupa or chrysalis (note the silken girdle); D, imago or
adult.]
_Colias philodice_, the Common Yellow, is the butterfly seen swarming
about roadside mud-puddles in August and September. The wings are lemon
color with black borders, and in the female the borders are usually
broken by several small yellow spots. The yellow or reddish eggs are
laid upon various kinds of clover; the slender green caterpillar is
exactly the color of the leaves; the chrysalis is usually pale green
also. This butterfly is found from New England to Florida, and as far
west as the Rocky Mountains.
_Terias lisa_ is another yellow butterfly, much smaller than Colias
philodice, rarely expanding more than an inch and a quarter. The wings
are lemon yellow with black borders, subject to many minor variations.
The caterpillar feeds on clover, but the early stages of this species
have never been thoroughly studied, despite the fact that the butterfly
is common from the New England states to the Rockies.
_Terias mexicana_, the Mexican Yellow, is larger than _Terias lisa_,
and somewhat paler in color. The black borders or the fore wings are
very wide and indented, and the hind wings are pointed. Very little is
known of its early stages. It is common in Texas, Arizona, and Southern
California, and often strays much farther north. I have myself taken a
number of specimens in Kansas.
THE PAPILIONINAE
This is the subfamily of the true swallowtails, the largest and most
distinctive of American butterflies. The hind wings are prolonged into
two tail-like projections, and are characterized, by the absence of
the internal vein. The caterpillars are all provided with peculiar
V-shaped scent-organs called _osmateria_; these organs are thrust out
just back of the head when the insect is disturbed, and give off an
offensive odor, supposed to discomfit birds and other enemies.
_Papilio troilus_, the Green-clouded Swallowtail, is velvety black with
a row of yellow spots along the margin of the fore wings. The marginal
spots on the hind wing are pale green, and the whole outer half of
the hind wing is clouded with the same greenish tinge. The female
deposits her eggs on sassafras and spicebush leaves; the caterpillar
is lead-colored or greenish, with a swollen thorax bearing two large
eye-spots, and lives in a nest made of a folded leaf. _Papilio troilus_
is common throughout the Atlantic States and in the Mississippi Valley.
_Papilio turnus_, the Tiger Swallowtail, is the magnificent
yellow-and-black species found in practically every part of the United
States. In the northern portion of its range the male and female
appear very much alike, but in the South there are two distinct types
of females. One female is black-and-yellow like its northern sisters;
the other is black-and-blue, with no yellow at all except a few small
crescents in the outer border of the hind wing. The black female, was
for a long while considered a distinct species and called _Papilio
glaucus_. Later, however, it was discovered that some of the eggs
laid by the yellow _turnus_ produced the black _glaucus_ females, and
that, conversely, the eggs of _glaucus_ often produced the ordinary
yellow-and-black Tiger Swallowtail. The smooth bluish-green eggs are
usually found on the wild cherry leaves; the caterpillar is green, with
enlarged thoracic segments bearing two large eye-spots like those of
Papilio troilus.
_Papilio ajax_, the Zebra Swallowtail, is another striking member
of this magnificent subfamily. The combination of green and black
stripes, the blue and red crescents and the long tails on the hind
wings, distinguish _ajax_ immediately from any of its splendid fellows.
There are at least three slightly different seasonal varieties of this
butterfly, due probably to differences in the temperature to which
the chrysalids are exposed. The butterfly may often be seen hovering
about pawpaw bushes, upon which the eggs are deposited. The mature
caterpillar is pea-green with bands of yellow and black; the chrysalis
is green or brownish, and the last crop of chrysalids does not produce
butterflies until the following Spring. This butterfly ranges from New
England south to the Florida Keys, and west to the foot-hills of the
Rockies.
_Papilio cresphontes_, the Giant Swallowtail, is the largest butterfly
in this country, measuring nearly six inches from tip to tip. The
color is dark brown with bands and blotches of bright yellow, and
there is a red-and-blue spot on the inner margin of the hind wings.
The under side of both wings is yellow, with narrow dark brown bands.
This butterfly is very common in Florida, where the caterpillars--the
natives call them orange-dogs--do a great deal of damage to the orange
and lemon trees. Each female butterfly is known to lay a great number
of eggs, and it has been suggested that the ravages of the orange-dog
may be checked by shooting the butterflies on the wing with miniature
shotguns. In recent years the species has extended its range northward,
and has become quite common in the Middle West; a number of specimens
have been taken in New England, and even in Canada. In the northern
part of its territory there are no citrus trees, but the caterpillar
feeds well enough upon prickly ash and several kinds of poplars.
THE SKIPPERS
The _Hesperiidae_ or Skipper family includes all the large bodied,
small-winged, moth-like butterflies, called Skippers because of
their jerky, erratic manner of flight. They are mostly small, dull
colored butterflies with short, hooked antennae. The caterpillars are
recognized by their large heads and small necks, and usually live in
nests made of leaves fastened together with silk. The chrysalids are
rounded and moth-like, and (unlike all the other families) are usually
enclosed in a loose cocoon of silk. The classification of Skippers is a
complicated business; the Hesperiidae is the only family in which the
beginner will find it difficult to identify his specimens.
_Epargyreus tityrus_, the Silver-spotted Skipper, is the largest member
of the family, with an expanse of about one and three-fourths inches.
The general color is dark brown, with yellowish spots; the common name
is derived from the silver area on the lower surface of the hind wing,
which shows when the insect is at rest. The caterpillar is yellowish
green, with a dark brown head; it feeds upon the leaves of the locust
and other leguminous trees. When the caterpillar is mature it leaves
its hammock in the locust tree and builds a light silken cocoon upon or
near the ground. The Silver-spotted Skipper is found in nearly every
part of the United States.
[Illustration: Fig. V.--The Cabbage Butterfly (_Pieris rapae_). This
butterfly was brought over from Europe about 1860, and has spread to
every part of the United States and Canada. A, egg; B, caterpillar; C
chrysalis; D, imago.]
_Atalopedes huron_, the Sachem Skipper, is a little golden brown
species, with an expanse of a little more than an inch. The male has a
darker area in the center of the front wing, while in the female the
fore wing is marked by several small white spots. When at rest this
skipper and its near relatives usually elevate the fore wings and
depress the hind wings, an attitude characteristic of this group. The
dark, cylindrical caterpillar feeds upon various grasses: the chrysalis
is slender, with a little swelling upon the thorax, and the tongue
sheath is free as in the pupae of moths. The Sachem is known from New
York to Florida, and as far west as eastern Colorado.
_Ancyloxipha numitor_, the Least Skipper, is the smallest butterfly
within our borders, measuring often less than three-fourths of an inch
from tip to tip. The slender body and hookless antennae distinguish it
from all other skippers. The general color is bright reddish brown,
the hind wings being particularly brilliant, and surrounded by a
darker border. Its flight is weak and wavering, and it rests often
among grasses at the edges of creeks or swamps. The yellow eggs are
laid on grasses; the tiny yellow caterpillar has a black head and a
body covered with bristles, and lives in a rolled-up blade of grass.
The chrysalis is reddish, with small black dots. The Least Skipper is
widely distributed everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains.