Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

This elegant butterfly is quite common on the island and is frequently seen visiting flower bushes or resting in fields or clearings. Not particularly skittish, it can often be photographed with some ease. After the monarch and checkered swallowtail, it is probably the largest regularly-seen butterfly on the island, although the buckeye is close in size. It is likely that the subspecies found on the island is insularis rather than the subspecies found on the mainland.

Adult