Zebra Longwings Facts for Kids

Appearance

• Zebra longwings are a medium size butterfly but, as their name suggests, they have long wings, with an average wing span of 3 to 4 inches. Their wings are black with yellow stripes and are slightly paler underneath, with red spots near the body. They have three sets of legs, and the first set are like small brushes, which they can use to taste the plants on which they stand. Male and female longwings look the same. The larvae, or caterpillar, is white with black spots and long black hairs.

Life Cycle

• As soon as the female emerges from her chrysalis, she can start to lay her yellow eggs, which she only does on the passion flower plant. When the caterpillars hatch, they eat the passion flower leaves, which makes them unpleasant tasting and poisonous to predators. They eat constantly for about a week before forming a chrysalis. The process from egg to butterfly takes just over three weeks. Zebra longwings live for up to six months, compared to most other species of butterfly, which live for two to four weeks.

Habitat

• Zebra longwings like to live in warm, moist and shady areas. They are often found in forested areas but can also be seen living in gardens and parks. They need passion flowers, as this is their only host plant, the plant on which the females lay their eggs. They also need flowers to provide them with nectar and pollen. Zebra longwings are common in peninsular Florida. They are also found in South Texas, Central America and South America.

Behavior

• Adult butterflies sleep on branches in groups of 30 or more at night and often go back to the same spot every night. They can use their bodies to make a creaking sound if disturbed. The butterflies suck up nectar from a range of flowers using a tube called a proboscis. Unlike other butterflies, they also break down pollen with a special enzyme and suck this up the proboscis for extra energy.