If you have been patiently waiting for the answer to yesterday’s post about which animal needs the coontie to survive, get ready! (And if you missed the post, check it out.)
*Drum roll* … it's the rare atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala)!
Photo courtesy of Dylann Turffs
*Drum roll* … it's the rare atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala)!
Photo courtesy of Dylann Turffs
The coontie serves as the one and only host plant for atala caterpillars, so they need it to eat. The orange-red caterpillars with yellow spots have evolved to handle the coontie’s natural poison (cyasin). They can incorporate it into their tissues, making them poisonous too.
The caterpillars store the poison as they transform into adults, so the atala butterflies are poisonous, too. The bright colors of the caterpillar and the butterfly tell predators, especially birds, to back off!
Large populations of coontie plants are necessary to support sustainable breeding populations of atala butterflies because the caterpillars eat A LOT! While their native range includes the park, it is rare to see them here. At one point, atalas were even believed to be extinct.
But they are making a comeback due to the coontie rising as a native, yard plant.
And you can help by planting coonties in your own yard in their native range, like Florida. As more people plant coonties, more atalas can lay eggs and caterpillars can have foliage to munch on.
And you can help by planting coonties in your own yard in their native range, like Florida. As more people plant coonties, more atalas can lay eggs and caterpillars can have foliage to munch on.
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