- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: October 21, 2020
Those passion flowers (Passiflora) are insect magnets.
One minute you'll see a praying mantis on a blossom. The next minute, a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. And the next morning, the blossom is an arthropod magnet--the beginnings of a spider web.
Passiflora is the host plant of the Gulf Fritillary, a spectacular orange butterfly with silver-spangled underwings. The Gulf Frit lays its eggs only on Passiflora.
The Gulf Frits know where the Passiflora is. Their predators know where the butterflies are.
The female mantis, Mantis religiosa (below), didn't snag the butterfly. But it did grab and munch on a few Gulf Frit caterpillars.
Ever critter eats in the garden.
Tags: Agraulis vanillae (83), Gulf Fritillary (64), Mantis religiosa (5), Passiflora (46), passionflower vine (46), praying mantis (130), spider (19)
Comments: 1
Comments:
by Raymond
on January 6, 2023 at 1:06 PM
Was looking for some takes regarding this topic and I found your article quite informative. It has given me a fresh perspective. Thanks!
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