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Butterfly populations are a very good indicator of the health of an area's ecosystem !!
Also known as the Western Striped Albatross
Striped Albatross, with their strong flight, are commonly found in open areas like gardens, meadows, and edges of forests where they feed on nectar from a variety of flowers.
Their preferred terrain is forests and woodlands, tropical rainforests, agricultural and cultivated areas, urban and uburban areas.
Adult striped albatross are attracted to a variety of nectar rich flowers. Sweet bait such as rotting fruit or fermented sugary solutions can also be used to attract them.
They flutter from bloom to bloom, guided by the vibrant colors and appealing shapes of flowers.
They primarily seek out pollen as a food source, incidentally transferring pollen on its legs and body as it moves, thus aiding in the fertilization of many plants.
The best time to find aduls is usually mid-morning to early afternoon when the sun is out, as they are most active during this time for feeding and mating.
Striped albatross can taste with its feet, a unique adaptation that allows it to sample host plants for egg laying suitability.
They are part of a family that exhibits mud puddling, where they stomp about wet puddles in order to get salt and other nutrients.
Warm and sunny weather with little to no wind is ideal for finding them since they rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature.
They have white dorsal wings with black jagged edges in males, deep black with a broad white stripe and a series of submarginal yellow spots in females.
The ventral side is white in males and yellowish white in females.
Diet: caterpillars dine on the leaves of Capparis spinosa, Cleome viscosa, Cleome rutidosperma, Maerua oblongifolia, and Crataeva religiosa.
Diet: adults take nectar from Ixora flowers, lantana camara flowers, hibiscus flowers, jatropha flowers, flowers of ageratum specie
Body length of adults: 4 - 4.5 cm / 1.57 – 1.77”
Wingspan: 5.0 – 6.0 cm. / 1.95 – 2.35”
The single biggest threat to butterfly survival is habitat destruction!!
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