Webinar: Butterflies (Great Southeast Pollinator Course — Week Three)
Webinar Date: June 30, 2026
Speakers: Dr. Sonia Altizer (UGA Department of Entomology); Jeremy Rhoden (UF/IFAS Extension, Marion County, FL)
Series: Great Southeast Pollinator Course
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1) — GTBOP_Transcript_2026-06-30_Butterflies.srt (340 blocks); Archive Package (Stage 2) for structural reference
Audience note: Built for an engaged general and census-volunteer audience. Every term, definition, and relationship below comes only from what the two speakers said in this session. Each exercise includes two extra Column B options (distractors) so students cannot answer by elimination.
Three exercises are provided: one matching common butterflies to their host plants (Altizer’s half), one on butterfly biology and terminology (both halves), and one matching garden practices to the habitat resource they provide (Rhoden’s half).
Matching Exercise 1: Butterflies and Their Host Plants
Timestamp Reference: 20:53 – 25:45 (primary coverage area)
Type: Species Identification
Instructions: Match each butterfly in Column A with the caterpillar host plant Altizer named in Column B. Two options in Column B will not be used.
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monarch | a) Passion vine | |
| 2 | Eastern tiger swallowtail | b) Pawpaw | |
| 3 | Gulf fritillary | c) Milkweed | |
| 4 | Cloudless sulfur | d) Tulip trees, sassafras, and other trees | |
| 5 | Common buckeye | e) Senna or partridge pea | |
| 6 | Zebra swallowtail | f) Pipevine | |
| 7 | Black swallowtail | g) Plantain (Plantago) | |
| 8 | Pipevine swallowtail | h) Parsley, dill, and fennel | |
| i) Coral honeysuckle | |||
| j) Firebush |
Answer Key:
1 → c, 2 → d, 3 → a, 4 → e, 5 → g, 6 → b, 7 → h, 8 → f
(Distractors not used: i — coral honeysuckle was named as an adult nectar plant, not a caterpillar host; j — firebush was mentioned as a nectar plant that zebra longwings feed on, not a host plant.)
Source in transcript: Common species and host plants (blocks 88–92, ~22:24–23:59); black and pipevine swallowtail host plants in the mimicry complex (blocks 98–99, ~25:00–25:42); coral honeysuckle and firebush as nectar plants (blocks 187, 190, ~49:28–51:04).
Matching Exercise 2: Butterfly Biology and Terms
Timestamp Reference: 9:18 – 56:45 (primary coverage area)
Type: Term-to-Definition
Instructions: Match each term in Column A with the definition given during the session in Column B. Two options in Column B will not be used.
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lepidoptera | a) Egg-laying; when a female seeks out and deposits eggs on a host plant | |
| 2 | Pterins | b) The order name meaning “scale wing,” covering butterflies and moths | |
| 3 | Ommochromes | c) Milkweed compounds that caterpillars store to taste bitter and deter predators | |
| 4 | Oviposition | d) Wing pigment that produces yellow and white | |
| 5 | Puddling | e) An insect that depends on a specific host plant species or genus | |
| 6 | Specialist insect | f) Wing pigment that produces red, orange, or brown | |
| 7 | Cardenolides (cardiac glycosides) | g) Drawing moisture and nutrients from wet soil | |
| 8 | Clutch size | h) The number of eggs a butterfly lays at one time in one place | |
| i) Shimmering color produced by microscopic ridges that scatter light | |||
| j) The siphoning, straw-like mouthpart of an adult butterfly |
Answer Key:
1 → b, 2 → d, 3 → f, 4 → a, 5 → g, 6 → e, 7 → c, 8 → h
(Distractors not used: i — that describes structural iridescence, which is not a pigment; j — that describes the adult proboscis, which was contrasted with the caterpillar’s chewing mouthparts but not listed as a Column A term.)
Source in transcript: Lepidoptera / “scale wing” (blocks 32–33, ~9:18–9:31); pterins and ommochromes (block 46, ~11:36–11:55); structural iridescence (blocks 48–50, ~12:00–12:40); oviposition (blocks 121, 164, ~29:58, ~41:13); puddling (block 206, ~56:19); specialist insect (blocks 151, 162, ~36:52, ~40:38); cardenolides (blocks 122–123, ~30:26–31:15); clutch size (blocks 170–172, ~43:23–44:06); adult proboscis vs. chewing mouthparts (block 184, ~48:28).
Matching Exercise 3: Garden Practice and the Resource It Provides
Timestamp Reference: 35:37 – 1:05:12 (primary coverage area)
Type: Timing-Practice
Instructions: Match each garden practice in Column A with the reason or resource Rhoden gave for it in Column B. Two options in Column B will not be used.
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plant milkweed and expect the foliage to be eaten | a) Provides a puddling site for moisture and minerals from the soil | |
| 2 | Choose flowers with landing pads in reds and purples | b) Provides larval (caterpillar) food — the feeding is the goal | |
| 3 | Leave the leaves and leaf litter | c) Draws adult butterflies in to feed on nectar | |
| 4 | Fill a plant saucer with gravel and shallow water | d) Gives butterflies a place to stand while they drink water | |
| 5 | Leave patches of exposed moist soil | e) Shelter for cocoons and chrysalises through the winter | |
| 6 | Aim for 75% or more native plants | f) Makes natives the dominant species that specialist insects depend on | |
| 7 | Plant in layers, from ground covers to trees | g) Gives resting and roosting spots plus shelter and cold protection | |
| 8 | Avoid raising and releasing large numbers of captive butterflies | h) Prevents spreading disease to wild butterfly populations | |
| i) Removes predatory wasps and lizards from the garden | |||
| j) Lets the plants store honey to feed the colony over winter |
Answer Key:
1 → b, 2 → c, 3 → e, 4 → d, 5 → a, 6 → f, 7 → g, 8 → h
(Distractors not used: i — Rhoden argued the opposite, that a healthy habitat invites predators as part of the circle of life; j — honey storage is a bee concept, not part of the butterfly session.)
Source in transcript: Host-plant feeding (blocks 165–170, ~41:37–43:23); nectar landing pads and color (blocks 186–189, ~49:08–50:34); leave the leaves (block 205, ~55:54); gravel-and-water saucer (blocks 207–212, ~57:04–57:28); exposed moist soil / puddling (block 206, ~56:19); 75% native target (blocks 191–193, 223, ~51:05–51:58, ~1:02:00); planting in layers (blocks 203, 249, ~55:11, ~1:06:43); circle of life / predators (blocks 200–202, ~54:14–55:10); raising and releasing (blocks 232–235, ~1:04:15–1:05:12).
Processed for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture / Great Southeast Pollinator Course Archives
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1) — GTBOP_Transcript_2026-06-30_Butterflies.srt (340 blocks); Archive Package (Stage 2)