Common Name Rice Paper Butterfly, Paper Kite
Idea leuconoe
Lepidoptera: Danaidae
Range: Philippines to Borneo and Formosa
Ours arrive from: Malaysia, Philippines

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Food: various species in the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae), including Hoya spp. and Tylophora spp.

Notes: This species is likely to be the most conspicuous butterfly in the conservatory, due to its large size, bright white color, and gentle, floating flight behavior. They tend to fly low and gracefully, lightly fluttering their wings while sipping nectar from flowers. Often, several males will simultaneously flutter around a female, vying for her attention. This is the largest species of milkweed butterflies (Danaiidae)in our facility. Caterpillars are velvety black in color, marked with narrow yellow bands and red spots, and adorned with four pairs of black filaments.