Stories

To the world, I am a Common Buckeye Butterfly. But my friends call me Juno, short for Junonia coenia. I spend most of my days interacting with plants such as Goldenrod, Aster, and Milkweed. My relationship with plants is called a mutually beneficial relationship. Meaning we both gain something from it. I get to eat nectar while spreading pollen to help fertilize the flowers so the plant can produce seeds and/or fruit. I’ve been pollinating here at Carolina Wildlands for about three years now and my favorite area of the property is Fireworks Prairie. This is a native prairie that was planted with a native seed mix. The prairie has a variety of plant species both flowering and non-flowering including wildflowers and grasses. Right next to the prairie is an old hayfield filled with tall grass which is relaxing after a long day of prairie pollination. I usually spend my early spring and all of summer here. Around mid-fall is when I travel south because I am cold-sensitive.

the spotlight so when I hear their voices, I know it is show-time. At a quick glance I appear to be a boring brown color but when studied, my vibrant design pops out and my buckeye pattern becomes noticeable. As you can imagine, brown is my favorite color. It is such an underestimated color, but I adore it. With a hint of orange and yellow at the top and bottom of my wings it is almost as if I’m changing colors. My buckeye pattern is a mix of yellow and black circles with small specs of purple and blue, which gives my audience a sense of illusion. Though beautiful in its own way, my colors and patterns also help me blend in and hide from harm.

I am very particular when it comes to my host plants. I prefer Blue Toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis) and False Foxglove (Agalinis tenuifolia). Those are my go-to host plants. Especially when I was a caterpillar, those were my favorite to feed on.

As a caterpillar I usually fed individually and in isolation but now that I am older, I am what you would call a social butterfly. The CWF staff have caught me numerous times hanging out with a Firey Skipper and other pollinating insects.

Thanks for reading my biography and I hope to see you soon out in Fireworks Prairie. Maybe we can even pollinate together, or you can watch me pollinate sometime.