The Upper wings of the Gulf Fritillary

The upper wings of the Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae) are a brilliant red-orange. This specimen on exhibit at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History reveals the glamorous silver spots hidden on the underside. Another neat feature of this view is the leg arrangement distinctive to the family Nymphalidae or brush-footed butterflies.

Almost all adult insects have six legs, but brush-footed butterflies appear to have four legs, since their frontmost pair of legs has evolved into a little pair of brushes to clean their mouthparts. Dione vanillae can be seen throughout much of the Americas, including our Central Coast. Look for them near their passion-fruit-bearing host plants.

There’s a Passiflora vine in the Museum’s parking lot that is closely observed by Schlinger Curator of Entomology Alex Harman, PhD, for this reason. For a truly memorable butterfly experience, visit the Museum’s Sprague Butterfly Pavilion, home to the Butterflies Alive! exhibit through Labor Day weekend.