Southern Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia [Fabricius])
Wing span: 2 3/16 - 2 3/4 inches (5.6 -7 cm).
Identification: Antennal clubs are orange. Upperside is brown with dark eyespots at the margins. Underside is light brown; submarginal row of 4 spots (Florida females may have 5) on forewing is slightly curved and brown line inside this spot row is straight or zigzagged. Spots are encircled by diffuse white.
Life history: Males perch on tree trunks, sometimes head downward, to wait for females. Eggs are laid singly on or near the host plant; caterpillars feed on leaves. Older caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Three broods from March-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Bamboo: giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) and switch cane (A. tecta).
Adult food: Sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung.
Habitat: Shady, damp woods near stream-fed swamps.
Range: Eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas east through the southeastern United States.
