Soldier (Danaus eresimus [Cramer])
Wing span: 2 3/4 - 3 3/4 inches (7 - 9.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside is brownish orange, darker at the wing bases; both wings with thin black veins. Forewing has fewer white spots than the Queen. Underside of hindwing has a pale band of blotchy pale spots.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: From August-December in South Texas; all year in southern Florida, most common from October-December.
Caterpillar hosts: Milkweeds and milkweed vines.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open pastures and fields, edges of seasonally dry tropical forests.
Range: Southern Florida and South Texas south through the West Indies and Central America to Brazil. A rare stray to southern Arizona and southern New Mexico.
