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
Purpose: These twelve prompts direct students to specific video segments with a focused task. Taken in order, they also give a course developer a ready outline for subdividing the ~89-minute recording into Moodle sections. The set spans the full session and segments cleanly at the presenter handoff and the Q&A: prompts 1–4 cover Sonia Altizer’s diversity-and-biology half (ends 33:02), prompts 5–9 cover Jeremy Rhoden’s habitat-and-conservation half (34:16–1:11:14), and prompts 10–12 cover the joint Q&A (1:11:15–1:29:24).
Part One — Sonia Altizer: Butterfly Diversity and Biology
Review Task 1
Watch: 0:00 – 6:03
Task: Note how the session opens and Altizer’s case for butterflies as ambassadors for the insect world.
Key Points to Identify:
- The zebra swallowtail teaser: its caterpillars feed only on the pawpaw, the largest fruit native to North America and the only temperate member of the custard apple family.
- Altizer’s path into the field: a professor dropped a pile of dead, deformed monarchs on her desk in grad school, and she has studied that monarch disease ever since.
- Why butterflies make good ambassadors: highly visible, active by day, boldly colored, easy to rear and handle, and they don’t sting, bite, stink, or spread disease.
Review Task 2
Watch: 6:03 – 12:40
Task: Capture why butterflies are valuable to monitor and how their wings work.
Key Points to Identify:
- Butterflies are important environmental indicators — sensitive to habitat change, with large long-term data sets — and cultural icons (the spring azure as a harbinger of spring); they are the most extensively monitored insect group in the U.S. and Europe.
- Lepidoptera means “scale wing”; the wing membrane is clear, with scales layered like roof shingles that signal to mates, aid predator avoidance, and help with thermoregulation and flight.
- The “dust myth”: losing a few scales to handling generally does not hurt a butterfly. Color comes from pterin (yellow/white) and ommochrome (red/orange/brown) pigments and black melanin, while iridescent blues and greens are structural — made by microscopic ridges, not pigment.
Review Task 3
Watch: 12:42 – 20:51
Task: Learn the scale of butterfly diversity and the beginner’s framework of families.
Key Points to Identify:
- Diversity figures: nearly 200 butterfly species in the Southeast, about 700 in North America, roughly 20,000 worldwide, within over 150,000 Lepidoptera (the rest moths); the tropics hold the most.
- Butterfly-vs-moth rules of thumb (with exceptions): clubbed vs. feathery/thread-like antennae, day vs. night activity, wings folded above the body vs. flat, slender vs. chunky, bright vs. duller.
- The five families to learn first: Papilionidae (swallowtails), Pieridae (whites/sulfurs), Lycaenidae (gossamer-wings — blues, coppers, hairstreaks), Hesperiidae (skippers), and Nymphalidae (brush-foots — the largest and most diverse, including the monarch).
Review Task 4
Watch: 20:53 – 33:02
Task: Connect common Southeastern butterflies to their host plants, defenses, and identification tools.
Key Points to Identify:
- Common species and hosts: monarch/milkweed, eastern tiger swallowtail/tulip trees and sassafras, gulf fritillary/passion vine, cloudless sulfur/Senna or partridge pea, common buckeye/plantain (Plantago), zebra swallowtail/pawpaw.
- The swallowtail mimicry complex: spicebush, pipevine, and black swallowtails sequester defensive compounds from aromatic host plants; the non-toxic red-spotted purple mimics them for protection. Monarchs sequester milkweed cardenolides that taste bitter and cause heart palpitations in vertebrates.
- ID resources — BAMONA (butterfliesandmoths.org) and the Seek app (iNaturalist). The lycaenid–ant partnership: ants protect the caterpillars in exchange for a sugary secretion, and some caterpillars are taken into the colony and fed ant larvae.
Part Two — Jeremy Rhoden: Building Butterfly Habitat
Review Task 5
Watch: 34:16 – 40:37
Task: Set up the four habitat resources and the generalist-versus-specialist idea that frames them.
Key Points to Identify:
- The four resources a butterfly habitat needs: host plants, nectar plants, shelter/overwintering, and water/minerals.
- Generalist vs. specialist insects: generalists (e.g., brown marmorated stink bug) have a wide diet, broad detox, and low extinction risk; specialists (e.g., monarch) have a narrow diet, specialized detox, bright warning coloration, and high extinction risk.
- The Southeast holds roughly 30,000–40,000 native insect species, and entomologists estimate about 90% of the plant-feeding insects — all the pollinators — are specialists, which is why habitat loss hits them hard.
Review Task 6
Watch: 40:38 – 46:57
Task: Work through host plants and why feeding damage is a sign of success.
Key Points to Identify:
- Monarchs are specialists as caterpillars and for egg-laying (milkweed) but generalists as adult nectar feeders — an example of an insect that is not a specialist for its whole life.
- Feeding is the goal: many host plants tolerate 90–95% defoliation and recover; don’t spray when caterpillars appear. Clutch size varies — monarchs lay one egg per leaf, while pipevine swallowtails lay about 50 eggs in a single cluster.
- “Trees host the most” — Florida live oaks are a host plant for over 330 lepidopteran species. The Xerces Society native-plant finder lets you search by state and download a list with bloom time, larval-host, and pet-safe indicators.
Review Task 7
Watch: 47:00 – 53:30
Task: Summarize what butterflies look for in nectar plants and the case for native planting.
Key Points to Identify:
- Nectar is a sugary substance plants make for pollination and it costs them energy (the Darwin orchid / long-tongued moth coevolution; Florida’s ghost orchid). Adult mouthparts are a siphoning straw, unlike the caterpillar’s chewing mouthparts.
- Butterflies prefer a landing pad (a defined center like a coneflower or a flat cluster like an umbel or lantana), are drawn to reds, pinks, and purples (bees can’t see red), and have long tongues for tubular flowers — so plant a mix of shapes and colors.
- Aim for 75% or more native plants to make natives the dominant species; non-natives are fine if not invasive. The zebra longwing (Florida’s state butterfly) feeds on both nectar and pollen and lives longer for it.
Review Task 8
Watch: 53:31 – 58:49
Task: Cover the last two habitat resources — shelter/overwintering and water/minerals.
Key Points to Identify:
- Shelter: provide protection from rain, wind, and cold; palms and saw palmettos are pollinator magnets and good shelter; plant in layers from ground covers to trees; “leave the leaves,” which house cocoons and chrysalises. Expect predators (birds, lizards, wasps) as part of the circle of life.
- Water and minerals: butterflies puddle, drawing moisture and nutrients from wet soil, so leave exposed moist soil; organic compost or composted cow manure adds amino acids and organic compounds.
- DIY options: a plant saucer with gravel and shallow water (a place to stand and drink), fruit plates, or — lower maintenance — native fruit trees (figs, persimmons, blackberries) left to ripen on the ground. Clean any standing water to avoid spreading disease.
Review Task 9
Watch: 58:50 – 1:11:14
Task: Lay out the conservation threats, the rearing-and-release message, and Rhoden’s closing tips.
Key Points to Identify:
- Threats: habitat loss, pesticides and mosquito spraying, climate change, and invasive/non-native species — the mimosa produces so much nectar that pollinators favor it over already-declining natives, leaving those natives unpollinated. A Xerces study found 22% of U.S. butterfly species disappeared between 2000 and 2020 (about 1.3% per year), but microhabitats of any size help — every square foot matters.
- Current research advises against raising and releasing captive butterflies because it can spread disease to wild populations; Rhoden ended the release tent at his festival and urges people to research it themselves.
- Closing tips: plant native host plants, provide continuous year-round blooms, reduce insecticides, leave messy/natural areas, and plant in layers. Join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census (August 2026) — participation grew from about 5,000 people in 2019 to roughly 25,000–30,000 last year.
Part Three — Joint Q&A
Review Task 10
Watch: 1:11:15 – 1:15:16
Task: Review the ambassador programs and the evidence on butterfly declines.
Key Points to Identify:
- How to get involved: email Jeremy directly for Florida’s Pollinator Ambassador program (no landing page yet); Georgia’s Pollinator Stewards run through local Extension offices; Alabama has a Pollinator Partners program.
- Why people see fewer butterflies: Altizer confirmed the observation is real. A collaborative study published last year found declines of more than 10% over 20 years — “for every five butterflies we saw 20 years ago, only four remain today” in North America.
- The declines are uneven — some species increased, but over ten times as many species are declining as increasing, and it varies by region and taxon.
Review Task 11
Watch: 1:15:17 – 1:23:00
Task: Capture the monarch migration discussion and the guidance on raising caterpillars.
Key Points to Identify:
- Monarch migration and South Florida: there is a resident, non-migrating population, some of it genetically distinct; the region also sees coastal overwintering and spring/fall migrants. Tracking shows younger monarchs traveling 100-plus miles (South Florida up to Valdosta) while older ones stay put; new solar-powered Bluetooth tags communicate with a phone app and detect a tagged monarch within 100–200 meters.
- Raising caterpillars: fine in moderation for education or enrichment — four, five, maybe ten. Raising 100–500 for release, or mailing monarchs to Texas to “boost” the migration, does not help them in the wild and can spread disease.
- The monarch as “the gateway drug into butterfly conservation” — often where people get their start, which both presenters see as a good thing when done for education.
Review Task 12
Watch: 1:23:01 – 1:29:24
Task: Review the closing questions on predators, chrysalis placement, and mosquito control.
Key Points to Identify:
- Bird feeders in September: no need to remove them — during fall migration monarchs are heavily defended with cardenolides that deter birds, so they’re more likely taken by large spiders or praying mantises; the chemical defense fades only as monarchs age past the migration.
- Chrysalis placement: caterpillars can travel surprisingly far and pick odd spots (mailboxes, garage siding), but generally hide the chrysalis up in vegetation, so woody shrubs and trees near host plants help. A chrysalis can’t flee a predator, so hiding is its only defense.
- Mosquito spraying: aerial spraying is long suspected of killing caterpillars and butterflies but hard to study. Alternatives — request a county no-spray zone or a state spray registry, dump standing water, use repellents, and use floating Bt discs or mosquito dunks in ponds and retention areas rather than broadcast spraying and fogging. (Next week: small bees — anything smaller than a honey bee.)
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)