Tithorea are large butterflies. They often fly in sunny glades where they are easily confused with Heliconius species such as ismenius, numata or hecale. The easiest way to distinguish Tithorea from their mimics is to examine the antennae and legs.
Tithorea antennae are very gradually tapered, cream colored, and drooping. In Pieridae they are parallel along the stalk with a strongly clubbed tip, while in Papilionidae the tip is clubbed and recurved.
Ithomiines, Heliconiines and Nymphalines have only 2 pairs of functioning legs. In the Ithomiines, these are long, giving the impression of a butterfly on stilts. Papilionidae and Pieridae have 3 pairs of functioning legs.
Tithorea harmonia is one of the commonest and most widespread of the toxic "tiger" species found from Mexico to the southern Amazon. There are 26 named subspecies.
Tithorea harmonia, Harmonia Tiger-wing or Harmonia Tiger
Nymphalidae
Odontonema strictum, Acanthaceae
Firespike, Cardinal Guard, Scarlet Flame
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Tags: Tithoria harmonia tiger orange lback white leaf shadow Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Garden Susan Ford Collins Wings of the Tropics
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Tithorea are large butterflies. They often fly in sunny glades where they are easily confused with Heliconius species such as ismenius, numata or hecale. The easiest way to distinguish Tithorea from their mimics is to examine the antennae and legs.
Tithorea antennae are very gradually tapered, cream colored, and drooping. In Pieridae they are parallel along the stalk with a strongly clubbed tip, while in Papilionidae the tip is clubbed and recurved.
Ithomiines, Heliconiines and Nymphalines have only 2 pairs of functioning legs. In the Ithomiines, these are long, giving the impression of a butterfly on stilts. Papilionidae and Pieridae have 3 pairs of functioning legs.
Tithorea harmonia is one of the commonest and most widespread of the toxic "tiger" species found from Mexico to the southern Amazon. There are 26 named subspecies.
Tithorea harmonia, Harmonia Tiger-wing or Harmonia Tiger
Nymphalidae
Odontonema strictum, Acanthaceae
Firespike, Cardinal Guard, Scarlet Flame
www.susanfordcollins.com
Tags: Tithoria harmonia butterlfy antennae black white orange Heliconius Tithoria Wings of the Tropics Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Garden Susan Ford Collins Nyphalidae Sunrays+5 Coth5+
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The Common Screwpine (Pandanus utilis) is a tropical tree native to Madagascar. Contrary to its name, it is NOT a pine and doesn't even look like a pine. It is sometimes called a Madagascar Screw-Pine. Interestingly, like corn plants, it has prop roots to hold it up. They become woody and gnarly and strong enough to face up to tropical winds! Believe it or not, Albert is holding onto and standing among some very tall prop roots beside Pandanus Lake at Fairchild Garden!
Notice the long leaves with sharply serrated edges and the ridged, twisting trunks.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Pandanus Lake, Miami, FL
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Tags: Screw Pine trunk porp root lake Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Garden Susan Ford Collins Pandanus Sunrays+5 coth5
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Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
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Tags: palm flower abstract Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Garden Susan Ford Collins coconut Bamboo Palm seed Bamboo Palm seeds cluster Palm seed Coconut seed Sunrays5+ Coth5+
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The brilliant yellow color. The tight globe shape. Beautiful and usually unnoticed floating on the surface of wetland ponds and slow moving streams. Undulating heart shaped leaves and long thick underwater stems. But this one popped almost out of the pool!
Nuphar lutea, the spatterdock, yellow water-lily, cow lily, or yellow pond-lily, is an aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae, native to Eurasia and North America. It grows in eutrophic freshwater beds, with its roots fixed into the ground and its leaves floating on the water's surface.
The plant's inflorescence is a solitary, terminal hermaphrodite flower, pollinated by insects, which blooms from June to September in the Northern Hemisphere. The flower is followed by achenes which are distributed by the water current. It can grow in water up to 40 cm (16 in)
Spatterdock was long used in traditional medicine, with the root applied to the skin and/or the root and seeds eaten for a variety of conditions. The seeds are edible, and can be ground into flour. The root is edible too, but may be extremely bitter in some plants.
Spatterdock, Founder's Pool, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
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Tags: yellow dock structure flower leaves pond Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Garden Susan Ford Collins yellow Spatterdock Spatterdock Nymphaeaceae Sunrays+5 COTH5
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