Gulf fritillary caterpillars are more often found on passion vines in open, full sun, and are usually found feeding on older leaves away from the tip of the vine. Passion Flower – The passion flower vine (Passiflora) is another gorgeous flower that just happens to be preferred by caterpillars before they morph into the Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary butterflies. Fritillary Butterfly Egg Photograph by Priya Ghose - Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Egg Fine Art Prints and Posters for Sale. The Corkystem Passionvine is a native of Florida and Texas that is mainly grown as a butterfly caterpillar host plant for the Zebra Longwing (a.k.a. These are the eggs and larva of the zebra longwing, Heliconius charitonius. The underside of their wings are covered with orange scales with large patches of silver scales. caterpillars eating my passion vine -- PEST CONTROL??? The host plant for this species is passionvine; Passiflora species. Since gulf fritillary adults were feeding on pinwheel zinnia in the backyard, I placed the pots in the same bed and hoped that the deer would not eat them before the butterflies found them. - A tiny Gulf Fritillary Butterfly egg stays hidden among the veined bracts of a passionflower flower bud. The males of the species are smaller than their female counterparts. This year, I get to enjoy the caterpillars and the resulting chrysalis. Yes, they were munching on my beloved passion flower vines, but they were only taking just enough. Passion flower can tolerate very dry conditions. Some butterflies visit Passiflora to drink nectar from the flowers and some also may eat the pollen, in doing so they may also pollinate the flowers. An interesting fact … Blossom on native Texas Passion Vine, commonly called Maypop, a host plant for the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly The fruit of a native Texas Passion Vine, commonly called Maypop Female Gulf Fritillary Butterfly hanging upside down on Passion Vine laying eggs It's also the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly and thus a must-have for butterfly gardens. Passion flower vine (Passiflora) is the main food source to host the gulf fritillary butterfly. This beautiful butterfly is easy to attract to your garden. The gulf fritillary is also known as the passion butterfly, because the larvae feed on the leaves of the passion vine. Easy and makes a nice dense vine on smaller trellises. Gulf Fritillary – Agraulis vanillae Gulf Fritillary butterflies are orange with black spots. Gulf fritillary butterflies are primarily orange with some black and white markings. There are at least five other native species of Passiflora in Florida: lutea , multiflora , pallens , sexflora , and suberosa , but the passion flower ( P. incarnata … We all love butterflies but their caterpillars can wreak havoc, … There were plenty of leaves to go around. A tiny Gulf Fritillary Butterfly egg stays hidden among the veined bracts of a passionflower flower bud.