Common Buckeye:
Junonia coenia

Common Buckeye is common statewide. The habitat is open, sunny areas with low vegetation. It is often seen along dirt roads or trails or in gardens. There are two color forms, a light form that occurs in summer from May to August, and a dark form that occurs as early as January but occurs mostly in March and April and again from late August to winter (as late as December). The color forms are a response to the number of hours of daylight at different times of the year (Harris, 1972). There are two to three broods from late February (south) to December (south). The hostplants are Virginia plantain (Plantago virginica), narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), purple false foxglove (Agalinis purpurea), beach false foxglove (Agalinis fasciculata), turkey tangle fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), oblong snakeherb (Dyschoriste oblongifolia), yaupon blacksenna (Seymeria cassioides), American bluehearts (Buchnera americana) and others. Early Date: January 2 (Grady County); Late Date: December 29 (Thomas County). Conservation Status: Secure.