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: This is a self-paced comprehension check for an engaged general and census-volunteer audience, not a licensed-applicator CEU exam. All questions and answers come only from what the two speakers said in this session.
Question set: 14 multiple-choice questions — 6 Recall, 5 Application, 3 Analysis. Coverage spans both presenter halves: Altizer’s diversity-and-biology half (0:00–33:02) and Rhoden’s habitat-and-conservation half (34:16–1:11:14), plus the joint Q&A (1:11:15–1:29:24).
Question 1
Timestamp Reference: 16:38 – 17:04
Difficulty: Recall
According to Sonia Altizer, roughly how many species make up the order Lepidoptera, and how many of those are butterflies?
a) About 20,000 Lepidoptera, of which roughly 700 are butterflies
b) Over 150,000 Lepidoptera, of which about 20,000 are butterflies and the rest are moths
c) About 700 Lepidoptera worldwide, nearly all of them butterflies
d) Over 150,000 Lepidoptera, of which about half are butterflies and half are moths
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Altizer said there are over 150,000 species of Lepidoptera; about 20,000 of those are butterflies and the vast majority of the rest are moths. (The ~700 figure she gave applies to North America, and ~200 to the Southeast.)
Source in transcript: Blocks 62–70 (~15:26–17:04).
Question 2
Timestamp Reference: 11:36 – 12:20
Difficulty: Recall
Altizer described two ways butterfly wings make color. Which pairing of pigment to color did she give?
a) Pterins produce black; melanin produces yellow and white
b) Ommochromes produce blue and green; pterins produce black
c) Pterins produce yellow and white; ommochromes produce red, orange, or brown; melanin produces black
d) Melanin produces the shimmering blues and greens seen in some butterflies
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Altizer said pterins give the yellow and white parts of the wing, ommochromes give red, orange, or brown, and melanin makes the black. The shimmering blues and greens are structural (iridescent) colors made by microscopic ridges, not by pigment.
Source in transcript: Blocks 45–50 (~11:11–12:40).
Question 3
Timestamp Reference: 17:04 – 17:49
Difficulty: Application
You find a winged insect resting with its wings folded up above its body, thin antennae ending in small clubs, and a slender, brightly colored body, active in the middle of the day. Using Altizer’s rules of thumb, what is it most likely to be?
a) A moth, because moths hold their wings folded up above the body
b) A butterfly, based on the clubbed antennae, daytime activity, folded wings, and slender bright body
c) Impossible to say, because these traits apply equally to both
d) A skipper, because only skippers rest with wings folded up
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Altizer’s generalizations (noting exceptions exist) were that butterflies have thin clubbed antennae, are active by day, rest with wings folded above the body, and tend to be slender and brightly colored, while moths have feathery or thread-like antennae, fly at dusk/dawn/night, rest with wings flat, and are chunkier and duller.
Source in transcript: Blocks 71–75 (~17:04–18:04).
Question 4
Timestamp Reference: 19:05 – 20:51
Difficulty: Recall
Altizer recommended beginners start with the five most common Southeastern butterfly families. Which family did she describe as the largest and most diverse, and the one that includes the monarch?
a) Papilionidae (swallowtails)
b) Pieridae (whites and sulfurs)
c) Hesperiidae (skippers)
d) Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies)
Correct Answer: d
Explanation: Altizer named the five families — Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Hesperiidae, and Nymphalidae — and said the brush-footed Nymphalids are the biggest family both in North America and worldwide, the most colorful and diverse, and that beloved species like the monarch belong to it.
Source in transcript: Blocks 61–62, 79–83 (~14:40–15:26, ~19:05–20:51).
Question 5
Timestamp Reference: 24:01 – 25:45
Difficulty: Analysis
The red-spotted purple is not a swallowtail, yet its wing pattern closely resembles the toxic spicebush and pipevine swallowtails. Based on Altizer’s explanation, why is that resemblance an advantage?
a) It lets the red-spotted purple feed on the same aromatic host plants
b) The red-spotted purple is itself toxic, and shared coloring warns predators about both
c) The red-spotted purple is non-toxic, so looking like the toxic swallowtails discourages predators that have learned to avoid that pattern
d) The shared pattern helps the species recognize one another as mates
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Altizer described the spicebush, pipevine, and black swallowtails as sequestering defensive compounds from aromatic host plants, and called the red-spotted purple the “non-toxic mimic” — it feeds mostly on trees and is not toxic, so resembling the genuinely defended swallowtails borrows their predator protection.
Source in transcript: Blocks 94–100 (~24:09–25:45).
Question 6
Timestamp Reference: 30:26 – 31:15
Difficulty: Recall
What did Altizer say monarch caterpillars gain from the cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) in milkweed?
a) Faster growth through several extra instars
b) Compounds they sequester in their bodies that make them taste bitter and cause heart palpitations in vertebrate predators
c) A pigment that turns their wings bright orange
d) Protection from milkweed’s own toxins so they can eat more leaves
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Altizer said milkweed’s cardiac glycosides stimulate caterpillar feeding, and the caterpillars sequester these compounds to defend themselves — making them taste bitter and causing heart palpitations in vertebrate animals that try to eat them.
Source in transcript: Blocks 121–123 (~29:58–31:15).
Question 7
Timestamp Reference: 31:15 – 32:36
Difficulty: Analysis
Altizer called the lycaenid caterpillar–ant relationship one of the coolest examples of coevolution. What does each partner get out of it?
a) The ants eat the caterpillars, and the caterpillars gain nothing
b) The caterpillars pollinate the ants’ host plant, and the ants shelter the eggs
c) The ants protect the caterpillars from other predators, and the ants receive a sugary secretion from the caterpillars
d) The caterpillars carry the ants to new plants, and the ants provide camouflage
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Altizer said lycaenid caterpillars have behaviors and organs that attract ants; the ants defend the caterpillars from other predators and in return receive a sugary secretion. In some extreme cases the caterpillars are taken into the ant colony and fed ant larvae, becoming carnivorous.
Source in transcript: Blocks 124–129 (~31:16–32:36).
Question 8
Timestamp Reference: 26:00 – 27:52
Difficulty: Application
You photograph a butterfly you can’t identify and want a reliable species ID from the photo. Which resources did the presenters actually recommend?
a) Post it to a gardening group and wait for replies
b) BAMONA (butterfliesandmoths.org), where you upload the photo with date and location, and the Seek app tied to iNaturalist
c) A printed field guide only, since apps are unreliable for butterflies
d) The Xerces Society native-plant finder
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Altizer pointed to BAMONA (Butterflies and Moths of North America) at butterfliesandmoths.org — upload a photo with date and location for a reliable ID, plus a top-20-by-state list — and to the Seek app, tied to iNaturalist, which she said is reliable about nine times out of ten. Jeremy added that Seek, Google Lens, and Apple’s built-in ID have all improved for insects and caterpillars.
Source in transcript: Blocks 103–110 (~26:00–28:09); Jeremy’s addition, block 250 (~1:06:59).
Question 9
Timestamp Reference: 39:38 – 40:37
Difficulty: Recall
Rhoden said the Southeast has roughly 30,000–40,000 native insect species. About what share of the region’s plant-feeding insects did entomologists estimate are specialists?
a) About 25%
b) About 50%
c) About 90%
d) Nearly 100%
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Rhoden said entomologists estimate roughly 90% of the region’s plant-feeding insects are specialists — and “plant-feeding insects” here means all the pollinators, including butterflies and moths and the bees and wasps — which is why so many pollinators carry a high extinction risk as host plants decline.
Source in transcript: Blocks 159–161 (~39:38–40:37).
Question 10
Timestamp Reference: 41:37 – 43:23
Difficulty: Application
A gardener panics because caterpillars have chewed their milkweed down to almost nothing and asks whether they should spray. Based on Rhoden’s guidance, what should you tell them?
a) Spray immediately before the caterpillars spread to other plants
b) Don’t spray — feeding is exactly what you want, and many host plants tolerate 90–95% defoliation and recover
c) Dig up the milkweed and replace it with a non-native nectar plant
d) Move the caterpillars to a different plant to save the milkweed
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Rhoden stressed that if you plant host plants, feeding is the goal — not a problem. Many host plants have evolved to withstand heavy foliar damage, often 90–95% defoliation, and still recover. He noted his own milkweed gets eaten to the ground every year and comes back, and warned against spraying or treating when caterpillars appear.
Source in transcript: Blocks 165–170 (~41:37–43:23).
Question 11
Timestamp Reference: 44:33 – 45:35
Difficulty: Recall
Rhoden repeated the saying “trees host the most.” What example did he give to back it up?
a) A single milkweed plant can host hundreds of monarchs at once
b) Florida live oaks are a host plant for over 330 lepidopteran species
c) Pawpaw trees host every swallowtail in the Southeast
d) Mimosa trees support more pollinators than any native tree
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Rhoden said that in Florida alone, live oaks (and oaks generally) are a host plant for over 330 lepidopteran species — and most Florida oaks are native. He used it to make the point that a shaded yard with oak trees can do more for pollinators than a backyard full of flowers.
Source in transcript: Blocks 172–175 (~44:33–45:35).
Question 12
Timestamp Reference: 49:08 – 50:34
Difficulty: Application
You’re choosing nectar plants to attract butterflies. Which combination best matches Rhoden’s advice?
a) Deep tubular flowers only, in shades of blue, since butterflies see blue best
b) Flowers with a landing pad (a defined center or a flat cluster), including reds, pinks, and purples, plus some long tubular flowers their long tongues can reach
c) Double-flowered ornamental varieties in white, for maximum visibility
d) Whatever the bees prefer, since butterflies and bees are attracted to the same colors
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Rhoden said butterflies prefer a landing pad — a well-defined center like a coneflower or a flat cluster like an umbel or lantana — and are highly attracted to reds, pinks, and purples (unlike bees, which can’t see red). Their longer tongues let them reach into tubular flowers, so he advised a mix of shapes and colors including long narrow tubes and landing-pad flowers.
Source in transcript: Blocks 186–189 (~49:08–50:34).
Question 13
Timestamp Reference: 1:19:51 – 1:22:52
Difficulty: Application
A viewer asks whether she can collect caterpillars from her own garden, raise them, and release the butterflies back into her yard for her grandson to enjoy. How did the presenters answer?
a) Never raise caterpillars under any circumstances
b) Raising a handful — four, five, maybe ten — for education or personal enrichment is fine; the concern is raising 100–500 for release or mailing monarchs to boost populations, which doesn’t help them in the wild
c) Raise as many as possible and release them all to boost the local population
d) Only raise butterflies if you first get a state permit
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Sonia said rearing a small number of caterpillars — four, five, maybe ten — for education or enrichment is fine, but raising 100 to 500 for release, or mailing monarchs to Texas to “help” the migration, does not help them survive in the wild and can spread disease. Jeremy agreed, noting teachers and 4-H groups do the small-scale educational version, and that releasing many at once risks passing disease to wild species.
Source in transcript: Blocks 304–316 (~1:19:51–1:23:00).
Question 14
Timestamp Reference: 1:00:24 – 1:01:21
Difficulty: Analysis
Rhoden acknowledged that the non-native mimosa tree is beautiful and that pollinators swarm it, yet he still uses it to argue for a 75%-native landscape. What is his reasoning?
a) Mimosa produces no nectar, so pollinators leave the yard entirely
b) Mimosa is toxic to butterfly caterpillars that try to feed on it
c) Mimosa produces so much nectar that pollinators favor it over native plants, so those already-declining natives go unpollinated and decline further
d) Mimosa attracts only hummingbirds, which compete with butterflies
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Rhoden said mimosa produces so much nectar and is so favored — especially by generalist adult pollinators — that they keep visiting it instead of native plantings. With native plant material already in decline for specialist insects, those natives (often in the understory) go unpollinated and decline further, which is why he aims to make natives the dominant (75%+) species rather than banning every non-native.
Source in transcript: Blocks 219–223 (~59:39–1:01:21).
Answer Key
1-b, 2-c, 3-b, 4-d, 5-c, 6-b, 7-c, 8-b, 9-c, 10-b, 11-b, 12-b, 13-b, 14-c
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)