Junonia coenia

Buckeye

Basic Information

General information

Family: Nymphalidae
Sub Family: Nymphalinae
Estimated Lifespan 14 Days

Garden Specific Information

Estimated Number In Flight: 0
Total Number of Pupae Received: 6773
First Flown On: 10/14/02
Last Flown On: 11/14/19

Species Range:

  • NorthAmerica

Host plants:

  • The larvae are known to feed on Antirrhinum
  • Linaria
  • Plantago
  • and Ruellia.

Food Source

Adults can be found nectaring on a variety of flowers.

Etymology Of Name

Junonia comes from the Roman goddess Juno, known in Greece as Hera, wife of Jupiter (Zeus). Coenia comes from the Greek word kionos, which means common.

Habitat

The Common Buckeye enjoys open, sunny areas with low vegetation and sufficient amounts of bare ground.

Life history

Males perch during the day on low plants or bare ground to watch for females, flying periodically to patrol or to chase flying insects. Females lay eggs singly on leaf buds or on the upper side of host plant leaves. The caterpillars emerge and feed on the host plant until they form their chrysalis.

Flights

Two to three broods from May to October except for in the deep South, where they fly throughout the year.

Fun Facts

The Common Buckeye will commonly wear its wings down quite a bit. This is called a tattered wing state, and this butterfly is able to function completely normal with up to 2/3 of its wings missing.