Elada Checkerspot

Texola elada

Watercolor Illustration © by Michael J. Plagens

The checkerspot is at lower center. The red-flowered shrub is Desert Honeysuckle and is the host plant for the butterfly's caterpillar. Watercolor painting by Mike Plagens.

Nymphalidae -- Brush-footed Butterfly Family

The Elada Checkerspot is a very small butterfly; the wingspan is usually 25 mm or less. The butterfly often flies just above the ground in a languid fashion and so often goes unnoticed. The caterpillar uses this and several other members of the Acanthaceae as food plants. Look for it in canyons where there is a relatively good water supply and rarely far from one of its host plants.

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Copyright Michael J. Plagens, 1999-2008