Malachite Butterfly

The looks of malachite butterflies, Siproeta stelenes, are absolutely unique, at least in the wilds of South Florida. Nothing really comes close to matching it, making it one of the easiest butterflies to identify. You see it; you know it.

Malachites are dark brown to black with large green patches, the inspiration for its name. The combination is striking; some argue malachites are the most beautiful butterflies fluttering about our region.

Malachites are large butterflies, measuring roughly between three and four inches across. The forewings as noted have large green patches on a brown/black background; the rear wings have a series of green spots. The undersides are orange-brown with green patches. Males and females are similar in size and in looks, but there can be some variation by season.

A quick note before we precede: malachite is borrowed from a copper-based green mineral of the same name. The stone is beautiful enough to be used in jewelry and carved into works of art.

Malachite butterflies are considered uncommon in South Florida. We’ve only seen them a few times, all in central Broward County. The population here is believed to have come over from Cuba in the 1960s, and is slowly moving north toward Central Florida. They’re mostly found from Martin and Collier counties south and in the Tampa Bay region.

They do stray farther northwards, but rarely. According to the Alabama Butterfly Atlas, there has only been a single confirmed sighting of a malachite in the state and that was in 2006.

Malachites are also found in south Texas and in Arizona and New Mexico along the border with Mexico. Malachites’ natural range includes the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America into Brazil.

Favorite foods include rotten fruit, bird and bat droppings (yum!) as well as nectar from several flowers. Host plants include Browne’s blechum and maravilla, both of which are members of the same genus, Ruellia, neither of which are native to Florida. Maravilla isn’t found in the wild here, but Browne’s blechum is a wide spread weed here. Mangos, avocados and citrus are among malachite favorite fruits.

Malachites produce three generations a year and are in flight, or active, year round in South Florida.

Females lay their eggs singly on the leaves of the hosts. Malachite larvae are black with multi-branched orange and black spines and two prominent horns on the head.

Preferred habitat for malachites include the edges of forests and clearings. They’ve also been found in orchards.

Malachites are members of Nymphalidae, the brush-foot butterfly family.

Long Key Nature Preserve