To stick with the Lepdioptera theme this week…

The zebra longwing or zebra heliconian butterfly has a conspicious striped black and white or yellow-ish wing pattern. They are able to avoid potential harm from predators because the striped wings deters by boldly advertising their unpalatable taste. The adults are unusual among butterflies because they eat pollen as well as sip nectar from flowering plants. They form communal roosts at night for safety from predators. These unique butterflies can be found in the Americas, in the southern part of Texas and peninsular Florida in the U.S. to Central and South America. They are the official butterfly of Florida. I saw these at a butterfly show at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.