Mexican Fritillary (Euptoieta hegesia [Cramer])
Wing span: 2 9/16 - 2 15/16 inches (6.5 - 7.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of both wings with basal half unpatterned orange, and little or no contrast between basal and outer parts. Hindwing margins not angled; underside orange-brown with darker pattern.
Life history: Adults fly swiftly and erratically above low vegetation, while the sun is shining. Eggs are laid singly on host plants.
Flight: September-October in central Texas, all year in South Texas and tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: Passion-vines (Passiflora), morning glories (Convolvulaceae), and Turnera.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of Lantana, Stachytarpheta, and Turnera; occasionally dung.
Habitat: Openings, edges, fields, and weedy areas in tropical and subtropical lowlands and foothills.
Range: Resident in Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies. Strays to southern California, central Arizona, and central Texas.
