The Goatweed Leafwing butterfly is found in various parts of the United States, especially in the southern regions such as deep South Florida and South Texas. Its bright orange upper wings, marked with black spots and patterns, contrast sharply with its cryptic underwings. When the butterfly folds its wings, the brown or gray underside, marked with irregular darker patches, closely resembles a dead leaf. This camouflage helps it remain hidden from predators as it rests among leaf litter or dry vegetation.

 

“Goatweed Leafwing Butterfly” by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClareen, licensed under (CC BY 2.0)

 

Goatweed Leafwing Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Charaxinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 2 3/8 – 3 1/4 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Deciduous woods and scrub, especially along waterways; open fields, roadsides, and railroad tracks

 

🪴Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Goatweed (Croton capitatus)

• Prairie Tea (Croton monanthogynus)

• Silver Croton (Croton argyranthus)

 

🌸 feeding behavior

Adult Goatweed Leafwings feed on:

• Dung

• Moisture from damp ground and decaying organic material

• Rotting fruit

• Sap flows

Their preference for sap, rotting fruit, and dung is due to their shaded woodland habitats, where flowers are less abundant.

 

They rarely visit flowers but have occasionally been recorded on:

• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)