Common Buckeye

Junonia coenia

The large, realistic eyespots on their wings can flash suddenly to scare off predatory birds, mimicking the eyes of a much larger animal.

Scientific name: Junonia coenia
Taxonomy: Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Junonia
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Population trend: stable
Biome: grassland
Habitat: Open sunny areas, meadows, pastures, roadsides, and coastal dunes.
Diet: Adults drink nectar from aster, coreopsis, and clover; caterpillars feed on plantains, snapdragons, and ruellia.
Range: United States, Mexico, Central America, Bermuda
Size: Wingspan of 4.2 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 inches)
Lifespan: 10 to 14 days as an adult
Active: diurnal
Threats: Widespread herbicide and pesticide use, loss of open meadow habitats to suburban development.
Safe to approach?: Harmless. You can safely observe this butterfly from a few feet away as it basks on bare ground or visits flowers. They are highly territorial and may fly directly toward you to investigate, but they cannot bite or sting.

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Photo: skitterbug, CC-BY, via iNaturalist