THE TRIBE OF THE ANGLE-WINGS 189 



clusively to tropical regions, seldom straying into the 

 north. The Buckeye is an illustration of the latter group. 

 The genus Junonia to which it belongs is essentially tropical, 

 as it contains several species which are found through- 

 out the tropics in both the Old and the New Worlds. 

 In fact, this is apparently the only species which occurs 

 north of the tropics. It has an extraordinary range, being 

 found from Cuba to Massachusetts and from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific coasts. Toward the northern limits of its 

 range it is very rare and one of the greatest prizes which 

 the collector can obtain. In our Southern states it is an 

 abundant and generally distributed butterfly and, as it 

 hibernates as an adult and one group follows another 

 throughout the season rather rapidly, it is likely to be 

 taken at almost any time. {See plate, page 176.) 



The mother butterflies select as food plants for the larvae 

 various members of either the plantain or figwort families. 

 They lay eggs, one in a place, upon the leaves of plantain, 

 figwort, gerardia, and related plants generally near the 

 tip of the leaves. Less than a week later these hatch into 

 spiny caterpillars which feed upon the green substance of 

 the leaves during the next few weeks. For the most part 

 they eat between the veins leaving a ragged effect which 

 may help in finding them. When full grown they change 

 to . chrysalids which hang straight downward and bear a 

 general resemblance to those of the Thistle butterfly. 

 Curiously enough, those chrysalids which are attacked by 

 parasites take on a characteristic golden hue ; although the 

 normal healthy chrysalids are dark brown with a few 

 touches of a decidedly lighter brown. 



In its tropical home, where there is no winter period to 

 interrupt its growth, this butterfly doubtless continues to 



