Prairie

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Prairies

Although native prairie comprises less than 1% of total Illinois landscape today, one can find a number of butterflies in prairie areas. Keep in mind that many of these areas are protected so you will only want to take photos of the butterflies encountered in these areas.

Some of the butterfly families you will encounter include:

+ brush footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae)

+ swallowtails (family Papilionidae)

+ blues (family Lycaenidae)

Open the accordion panel below to learn more about these families of butterflies.

Family Nymphalidae

This family of butterflies is commonly known as brush-footed butterflies. It is the largest family of butterflies in the world with over 6,000 species. One example commonly encountered is the red spotted purple (ok, I didn't name this one). Species are often brightly colored.

You may not know it, but these butterflies have only 4 legs. Actually, they have 6 like most insects, but the front pair is significantly reduced (hence the common name). Caterpillars are often covered with spikes.
Family Papilionidae

Members of this family are often called swallowtails (because of the tails on many adults). In the swallowtail pictured here, you can see those. The extensions to the wings (on the left) are thought to direct the attention of the predator to the rear of the insect. When the predator strikes, the butterfly can rapidly escape. Many swallowtails are very fast fliers and may be difficult to catch. They can also be difficult to photograph. I often find it easiest to explore a prairie area in early morning (when i is still cool) as the butterflies are easier to photograph and won't fly as readily.
Family Lycaenidae

These butterflies are commonly called blues. This is because of the blue color on their scales. There are over 5,000 species throughout the world. the larvae often exude secretions which attract ants. Some larvae actually live in the nests of ants and feed on the ant larvae. Yes, some butterflies are predators as youngsters.