Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima [Fabricius]) Wing span: 2 3/8 - 2 5/8 inches (6 - 7 cm).
Identification: Upperside is brown. Forewing has cream or white median and submarginal bands. Hindwing has a cream or white submarginal band and a broken red median band.
Life history: Males patrol for receptive females. Eggs are laid on the sepals and bracts of flower clusters.
Flight: Throughout the year in South Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Ruellia in South Texas, other Acanthaceae southward.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Subtropical open and disturbed areas such as fields, weedy places, orchards, and second growth.
Range: Panama north through Central America to Mexico. Wanders and occasionally colonizes to central and South Texas.
