Buckeye Butterfly

The bold pattern of eyespots and white bars on the upper wing surface is distinctive in much of its range. The Buckeye Butterfly is handsome and those large eye-like spots on the wings are much like Buckeyes from the Buckeye tree. The eyespots likely serve to startle or distract predators, especially young birds. Adults feed on nectar and also take fluids from mud and damp sand. Males perch on bare ground or low plants, occasionally patrolling in search of females, but they are not territorial. The female lays eggs singly on buds or the upper side of leaves. The caterpillars are solitary and feed on the foliage, flowers, and fruits of the host plant. A variety of (typically) herbaceous plants are used, including especially plants in the snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae). Snapdragons here are wild or are never planted but come up each year from their own self-seeding. I assume it is these the butterfly uses.