As if on the calendar, common buckeye butterflies appeared in late August and September by the thousands her in northwest Arkansas. The eyespots likely serve to startle or distract predators, especially young birds. The species has many flights throughout the year, with mostly northward migrations for the late summer.
Common Buckeye
Much of the northern United States is only colonized in the fall from southern populations. Some of the later broods move southwards in the fall. Common buckeyes exhibit seasonal polyphenism, the summer version of the butterfly has light yellowish ventral wings and is called “linea”. The Fall morph has pink ventral wings, and is called the “rosa” morph.
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