Common buckeye (Junonia coenia)

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Common buckeye

Junonia coenia

Butterfly

The common buckeye is a brush-footed butterfly recognized by the large eyespots on its upper wings. Caterpillars feed on plants containing iridoid glycosides — the plantain family (Plantaginaceae, including Plantago, Penstemon, and Antirrhinum snapdragons), the vervain family (Verbenaceae, Verbena), and the acanthus family (Acanthaceae) — and sequester these compounds as a chemical defense. Adults nectar broadly on late-season composites such as asters and goldenrods, and northern populations are seasonally migratory because they cannot overwinter in hard-freeze regions.

Plants in the catalog

Larval host plants · 5

Blue vervain

Verbena hastata

Documented

Verbenaceae (Verbena) is one of the documented iridoid-bearing larval-host families of the common buckeye; cited at genus level (Bowers 1984; UF/IFAS EENY-426).

Firecracker penstemon

Penstemon eatonii

Plausible

Penstemon is a documented common-buckeye host genus (Plantaginaceae); P. eatonii not individually cited, so genus-level inference.

Foxglove beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

Plausible

Penstemon (Plantaginaceae, iridoid-bearing) is a documented common-buckeye larval-host genus (Calscape); P. digitalis is not species-cited, so genus-level inference.

Snapdragon

Antirrhinum majus

Documented

Antirrhinum (snapdragon) is a named iridoid-glycoside larval host of the common buckeye; Calscape lists Antirrhinum species as Junonia coenia hosts (Plantaginaceae).

Tall verbena

Verbena bonariensis

Plausible

Verbena (Verbenaceae) is a documented common-buckeye host genus; V. bonariensis itself is not individually cited, so genus-level inference.

Nectar plants · 4

Canada goldenrod

Solidago canadensis

Documented

Goldenrod (Solidago) is a documented late-season common-buckeye nectar source; large numbers nectar on goldenrods in autumn.

New England aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Documented

Adult common buckeyes nectar on asters (Symphyotrichum); New England aster (S. novae-angliae) is documented adult forage (Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas).

Smooth blue aster

Symphyotrichum laeve

Documented

Symphyotrichum asters are documented adult common-buckeye nectar sources during the late-season migratory period.

Stiff goldenrod

Solidago rigida

Documented

Solidago goldenrods are documented adult common-buckeye nectar sources during fall migration.

Range

Resident or seasonal across much of the United States (the eastern half, lower Midwest, and Southwest including most of California), southern Canada, and Mexico, recolonizing northern areas each year as it cannot overwinter in extreme cold.

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