First Butterfly

Little-Guy’s first butterfly sighting; the zebra longwing!

We recently moved and are still settling in; but one thing is for sure…. We love our little yard! It’s nothing special; spotty grass, sandy ground, heaven knows what is growing or lurking underground. But we have enjoyed the everyday surprise of finding who has called it home before we got there!

Today we wandered out, Belle proudly strutting out into the sunshine and Little-Guy strapped to me in his carrier. It didn’t take long until I saw a butterfly fluttering over the fence toward us! I watched its path and was happy to see Little-Guy watching as well! The butterfly fluttered and landed on a snake-plant near us, so I got as close as I could without bothering it to show him. I think this was the first time he’s really seen a butterfly!

I looked it up, and Little-Guy’s first butterfly sighting happens to be Florida’s state butterfly, the zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonius)*! A special and fitting sighting, as Florida is our current home, and home to many different butterflies!

Thank you for visiting us, little zebra longwing!


*P.S. - I confirmed the identification of the species of butterfly on dos.fl.gov, if you’re curious :)