Life under a Leaf

Queen butterfly larvae and entourage

French Cotton / Giant Milkweed – Calotropis procera, Family: ASCLEPIADACEAE is native to tropical Africa, but naturalized in the Cayman Islands. It has pretty violet and white flowers. In Cayman, it is one of the larval food plants of Queen butterflies - Danaus gilippus berenice (Cramer, 1779), Family: DANAIDAE. There’s lots of life on the underside of the leaves.

 French Cotton / Giant Milkweed - Calotropis procera, Family: ASCLEPIADACEAE,

 Queen butterfly freshly emerged from pupa, Grand Cayman, Nov.25, 2004

 Queen butterfly, Grand Cayman, Jan.1, 2015

French Cotton, Giant Milkweed - Calotropis procera, Family: ASCLEPIADACEAE.

Tiny Queen butterfly caterpillar - Danaus gilippus, Family: DANAIDAE

Photo: Ann Stafford, April 14, 2013

 

French Cotton / Giant Milkweed - Calotropis procera, Family: ASCLEPIADACEAE,
is naturalized in Cayman.

Queen butterfly caterpillar - Danaus gilippus berenice
starts eating a leaf in a horseshoe or circle pattern.
Photo:  Ann Stafford, April 16, 2013.

Queen butterfly caterpillar

starts eating a leaf in a horseshoe or circle pattern.
Photo:  Ann Stafford, March 12, 2013.

Spotless Ladybird Beetle larvae (Cycloneda sanguinea, Family: COCCINELLIDAE) are voracious predators.  They eat Aphids - the yellow Milkweed or Oleander Aphids - Aphis nerii, Family: APHIDIDAE, which are harmful to plants.

 Spotless Ladybird Beetle larvae (Cycloneda sanguinea, Family: COCCINELLIDAE)
are voracious predators.
They eat Aphids - the yellow Milkweed or Oleander Aphids - Aphis nerii, Family: APHIDIDAE,
which are harmful to plants.
Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, March 8, 2013

Milkweed or Oleander Aphid - Aphis nerii
Garden Bugs in the Milkweed Patch
Spotless Ladybird Beetle - Cycloneda sanguinea 
beneficial predator

 Spotless Ladybird Beetle larva (Cycloneda sanguinea, Family: COCCINELLIDAE) eats Aphids, 

and the newly hatched caterpillars of the Queen butterfly.   

The eaten circles can be seen, but the caterpillar has gone.

Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, March 8, 2013.

 

 Spotless Ladybird Beetle larvae (black & orange) and pupae (orange)

(Cycloneda sanguinea, Family: COCCINELLIDAE) are voracious predators.
They eat Aphids - the yellow Milkweed or Oleander Aphids - Aphis nerii, Family: APHIDIDAE,
which are harmful to plants.
Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, March 12, 2013

Spotless Ladybird Beetle pupa (orange) (Cycloneda sanguinea, Family: COCCINELLIDAE)

and yellow-orange Milkweed or Oleander Aphids - Aphis nerii, Family: APHIDIDAE, 

and their brown skin casts.

Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, March 17, 2013

Spotless Ladybird Beetle, newly-emerged orange adult by pupa case, and older red adult

Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, March 12, 2013 

Ladybird Beetles aka

Ladybirds (they are not birds!) and

Ladybugs (they are not bugs!), they are

Beetles!

 Calotropis gigantea – Giant Indian Milkweed is grown horticulturally in Cayman.

Both Giant Milkweeds are larval food plants of

Monarch - Danaus plexippus megalippe, Queen - Danaus gilippus berenice  and

maybe Soldier - Danaus eresimus tethys butterflies,

Milkweed butterflies Family: DANAIDAE.

Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies (Cayman) compared

DANAIDAE – the Milkweed Family.

Monarch eggs are pale green

Queen eggs are yellowish-green

Soldier eggs are orange.

Queen (Danaus gilippus berenice) - 3 pairs of filaments (left), and 

Monarch (Danaus plexippus megalippe) - 2 pairs of filaments (right), Family: DANAIDAE.
Photo: M.L. Askew, Grand Cayman, Jan. 26, 2006.

Queen or Soldier larva, Danaus sp. on Red Top (Scarlet Milkweed) -
Asclepias curassavica, one of its larval food plants.
Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, Dec. 26, 2006

CaymANNature Tours
Cayman Islands Guided Nature Tours

References:

BUTTERFLIES of the CAYMAN ISLANDS by R. R. Askew and P. A. van B. Stafford p.26-35 & 149.

Butterflies of the Cayman Islands

 CaymANNature Butterflies, Moths and their Plants

FLORA of the CAYMAN ISLANDS by George R. Proctor, 2012 p.527