Butterfly host plant guide
Heliconius butterflies and their host plants, Passiflora, have co-evolved, and therefore have influenced each other in their evolution in a number of ways. Passiflora plants produce chemicals toxins to defend themselves against herbivores, however, Heliconius butterflies exclusively lay eggs on these passion-flower vines and feed on them as caterpillars.
These toxins are poisonous to most herbivores, but Heliconius evolved the ability to synthesize some of these toxins and use them throughout their lives as their own defense against predators.
In this extensive guide, you will learn about different Heliconius butterflies and their host plant preferences.
Book: Butterflies of Pipeline Road
Pipeline road is a 17km-trail located at Soberania National Park in Panama. This road of lowland rainforest is home to at least 300 species of butterflies!
Biologist, Sebastián Mena, beautifully captured the wing-scaled residents of this area to provide an excellent guide for all butterfly enthusiasts.
