Dryas iulia
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Dryas iulia (often incorrectly spelled julia), commonly called the Julia butterfly, Julia heliconian, the flame, or flambeau, is a species of brush-footed (or nymphalid) butterfly. The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described.
Its wingspan ranges from 82 to 92 mm, and it is colored orange (brighter in male specimens) with black markings; this species is somewhat unpalatable to birds and belongs to the "orange" Müllerian mimicry complex. This butterfly is a fast flier and frequents clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, such as lantanas (Lantana) and shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris), and drinks the tears of caiman, the eye of which the butterfly irritates to produce tears. Its caterpillar feeds on leaves of passion vines, including Passiflora affinis and yellow passionflower (P. lutea) in Texas.
Its mating behavior is complex and involves a prolonged courtship whose outcome appears to be controlled by the female. This raises questions pertaining to the occurrence of the evolution of sexual conflict. The species is popular in butterfly houses because it is long-lived and active throughout the day. However, the caterpillars are spiky and may cause a skin rash. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Belém | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 8 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 10 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Julia Heliconian sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 452nd most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Julia Heliconian in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in December to July, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Julia Heliconian sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
30th of 34
Of the 34 cities where we can rate Julia Heliconian sightings, Austin ranks 30th at under 5%. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, about 30%), Porto Alegre (Brazil, about 30%) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 30%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Julia Heliconian that you can see in Austin (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Gulf Fritillary (about 40%), Monarch (about 30%) and Queen (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Julia Heliconian is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (57 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
