The male great Southern white butterfly is easy to identify because of his aquamarine-blue tipped antennae.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Cheryl Blackerby
The great Southern white butterfly is having a great year, as thousands flutter along the coast in much larger numbers than usual.
The butterfly population explosion is a result of an uncommonly wet spring with drenching rains before and after Tropical Storm Andrea.
The Southern white is one of South Florida’s prettiest: The males are bright white with aquamarine blue-tipped antennae, and the females are generally light to dark gray. They are normally found on coastal dunes and in coastal gardens, but recently they seem to be everywhere.
“After rains, the Southern white butterflies can build up huge numbers very quickly, and become very visible. It really shines in the sunlight,” said Dr. Jaret Daniels, associate curator of lepidoptera at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
The butterflies, one of five white butterflies commonly found in Florida, stay near the coast. Found year-round in southern Florida, they don’t migrate like other butterflies such as monarchs, but they do travel — generally 20 to 40 miles in two days or less.
“Once those large numbers of butterflies reach a certain point, they move out and will go from island to island following the coast,” he said, adding that the butterflies will be active well through the fall until the temperature drops and their numbers dwindle.
“They can disperse hundreds of miles depending on the resources available,” he said.
The Southern white, which is in the family of Pieridae/white and sulphurs, has a lifespan of a few weeks. The eggs are pale yellow and are not harmed by saltwater.
The caterpillars are yellow/green with dark gray longitudinal stripes and are covered in small black spots.
Host plants are Virginia pepper grass, saltwort, beach cabbage, limber caper and sea rocket.
Saltwort, lantanas, verbenas, and spanish needles are their favorite nectar plants.
Good luck trying to photograph one of the energetic Southern whites. “They don’t sit around very much,” said Daniels.
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