Elada Checkerspot
Texola elada
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.