
Florida's State Butterfly: Zebra Longwing
From Naturally Florida by Shannon Carnevale and Lara Milligan
May 18, 2026 · 25 min · Season 6 · Episode 5
About this episode
This episode discusses Florida's state butterfly, the zebra longwing, including its characteristics, habitat, life cycle, and conservation efforts.
In today’s episode we’re talking about Florida’s state butterfly, the zebra longwing: what it looks like, where it’s found, its life cycle, some fun and unique behaviors, and of course, what each of us can do to help support the zebra longwing butterfly. Learn More: Zebra Longwing Butterfly ( Heliconius charithonia ) - https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/zebra_longwing.shtml Zebra Longwing - https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/100-years/object/zebra-longwing/ Zebra longwing - https://www.flawildflowers.org/know-your-native-pollinators-zebra-longwing/ How You Can Help: Plant host and nectar/pollen plants (Ex. passionflower vine for eggs/larvae and firebush, tropical sage, Spanish needle and more for the adults) - https://www.flawildflowers.org/know-your-native-pollinators-zebra-longwing/ Consider creating a butterfly watering station - https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/gardening-with-wildlife/providing-water-to-wildlife/ Consider purchasing a “State Wildflower” tag (license plate) and support valuable research, the planting and protection of hundred of acres of wildflower pollinator pathways and school wildflower gardens, and overall…
People in this episode
Hosts: Shannon Carnevale, Lara Milligan
Topics covered
- Zebra Longwing
- Florida state butterfly
- butterfly conservation
- life cycle
- pollinators
- native plants
Keywords
- Zebra Longwing
- butterfly
- Florida
- conservation
- pollinators
- native plants
- life cycle
- butterfly watering station
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Florida Museum, USDA, Florida Wildflowers, IFAS
Products: State Wildflower tag, butterfly watering station, passionflower vine, firebush, tropical sage, Spanish needle
Books & works: Patterns of pollen collection and flower visitation by Heliconius butterflies in southeastern Mexico
Places: Florida, Mexico
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