There will often be several roosting sites, but over a period of time one will become more dominant and butterflies from other areas will join the bigger roost. Luke says, 'The zebras start to gather at their chosen roosting site in the early evening. Groups have a social hierarchy that allows the oldest butterflies to pick the best sleeping spots before the others bed down around them.Įlders of the group also give the younger ones a nudge to get going in the mornings. The butterflies return to the same spot to settle down for the night. These groups may range from a few individuals to 25 or 30 butterflies in the wild, where they live in humid tropical and subtropical environments. It's an amazing sight when the numbers of adult butterflies increase in the exhibition, and you see 30 or more of them cozying up together.' A social speciesĪnother unusual habit of the zebra butterfly is its love of roosting in large groups. Luke says, 'They are a beautiful species. These poisons are advertised by the white or yellow stripes and spots on the adults' wings and body. The caterpillars can absorb the toxic compounds in the flower without coming to any harm, but larger animals are poisoned if they eat either caterpillar or butterfly. Zebra butterflies have long memories, and are able to remember where food sources are, returning to where they have fed previously.Īs caterpillars, a favourite meal is the leaf of the toxic passion flower, making them - and the adult butterflies - a deadly snack for predators. The extra nutrients allow zebra butterflies to lay more eggs and survive far longer than other species, which generally die after two to four weeks. Pollen contains much more protein than can be found in normal butterfly diets. The zebra is one of the only butterflies known to consume the stuff, which it digests by dissolving the grains with saliva. The sticky pollen, produced by the male reproductive organs of plants, is something most butterfly species do not bother eating. We found our very first zebra swallowtail eggs today On our new paw paw tree (host plant for zebra swallowtail butterflies) We have been trying our. 'I try to include them in every exhibition that I work on, and they fly very well.' Why pollen?īutterflies usually feed on the sweet nectar inside flowers, only accidentally gathering pollen on their bodies as they roam. It tends to take longer if the weather is cooler. It can as many as 7 days for the eggs to hatch. The female will lay its eggs singly on the host plant leaves. They are spherical (ball like) with a diameter of little over one millimeter. I had a colony of them for many years at home. Tiger Swallowtail eggs are green and kind of shiny. Expert Luke Brown, who manages the house, says, 'The zebra butterfly has always been my favourite, because it is the first tropical butterfly I bred when I was about eight.
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