Once believed extinct, atala butterflies are making a comeback across Florida and Brevard

In August, 2017, FLORIDA TODAY ran an article about the atala butterfly. 

At that time, the butterflies were making a resurgence, even though it was believed to be extinct. The great news is that the atalas are doing well and have even been found here in Brevard County.  The atala’s host plant is the coontie, Zamia pumila, and because of its popularity as a landscape ornamental, the butterfly appears to be expanding its range.

The coontie is native to most of the Florida peninsula, where its natural habitat has well-drained soil, dominated by pine trees.  The coontie is hardy from zones 8B through 11 and can survive winter temperatures as low as 15°F. 

Originally, the coontie was found throughout hammocks and pinelands, but due to the excessive collection of its starchy root and use in the landscape, it’s rarely found in the wild now.  Collection of wild coontie plants is prohibited, because they are included on Florida’s Commercially Exploited Plant List.

This attractive plant looks more like a palm, or small fern, and typically grows to a height of three feet tall.  The stiff, feather-like leaves are attached to a shortened, thick stem.  New foliage is produced from the top of the stem, bright green and soft as it uncurls, eventually hardening into a glossy dark green, stiff leaf. 

The coontie is a primitive plant, like cycads, and grows as either a male or female.  Male plants produce a slender cone, measuring three to seven inches long, that releases pollen.  Female plants produce a brown cone, about six inches long and covered with a velvety fuzz, where the seeds are formed.  When the seeds are ripe, the cone breaks open, revealing the orange-red, shiny, waxy, fleshy coated seeds. 

A word of warning, these seeds are toxic to both humans and pets. The toxicity of the seeds, coupled with their location near the ground, can present a higher danger for small children and dogs.

These plants have a high drought tolerance and a moderate salt tolerance, making them a great choice for low-maintenance gardens in both coastal and inland areas. Plant them in well-draining soils, and don’t worry about the light conditions, because they can grow in deep shade to full sun. 

Some of the landscape uses of coontie include foundation planting, mass planting and as a specimen plant.   

The atala butterfly typically lays its eggs on the foliage of coontie plants. During her life, a single female can produce several dozen eggs. The white eggs are deposited, singly or in clusters of 5-15 eggs, on new foliage or near the tip of mature foliage, and have even been found on the cones of female plants. 

Eggs typically hatch in four to five days. The larvae, or caterpillars, are orange red with seven pairs of yellow spots running down their backs. Caterpillars prefer to eat the newest growth of the coontie. 

The caterpillars can withstand the coontie’s toxins and even incorporate them into their own tissues. This results in making both the caterpillars and the butterflies unpalatable to several of their predators, especially birds. 

The bright red on both the caterpillar and butterfly warns the predators of their toxicity. 

When the caterpillar has eaten enough, which may take about 18 days, its last molt creates an orange chrysalis, which hangs from a silken girdle on the underside of the foliage.  The chrysalis stage can last for about 10 days, depending upon the weather.  Before the adult emerges from the chrysalis, the outer shell of the pupa becomes opaque and the dark wings of the butterfly are visible inside the chrysalis. 

The atala butterfly has velvety black wings with a maximum wingspan of 1.5 inches. The flight of the Atala butterfly is weak, erratic and it travels close to the ground.  The butterflies may live for more than a week. 

The exact number of generations per year varies, as all life stages can be observed every month. 

The butterflies have been known to survive temperatures of 29 degrees. 

When at rest, butterflies hold their wings together where the metallic blue spots are arranged in three bands on the hind wings.  There is also a red spot on the underside of the hind wing adjacent to the abdomen. 

The head and thorax are a solid black. Blue bands are also present on the top of the hind wings, and they are visible when the butterfly is feeding on a flower’s nectar.

Other cycads, such as the new growth of cardboard plants, queen sago, and other species of zamia, can also support the atala caterpillars. 

The flowers the adult atala butterflies prefer are compound flowers with short, tubular corollas. Some of the known nectar plants for atala butterflies include Florida privet (forestiera segregata), lantana (lantana involucrata), macadamia nut (macadamia integrifolia), avocado (persea americana), wild coffee (psychotria nervosa), white indigo berry (randia aculeata), cabbage palm (sabal palmetto) and saw-toothed palmetto (serenoa repens).

An extension agent in St. Lucie County has created an atala reporting blog at blogs.ifas.ufl.edu. 

When he emailed me to let me know about the blog, he had received word from three people living in Brevard County who had Atala caterpillars and butterflies in their yards.  So far, all the locations are on the beaches.

Butterfly gardening is a lot of fun, because you get to watch the entire life cycle of the butterfly in your own yard. If you have any atala caterpillars in your yard, check out Ken’s blog and let him know.

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences.