Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/109601
ASK OTUS Dear Jen, Not only is the butterfly lovely, but so is Molly���s photo of it! I like how the pink from the blossoms reflects on the white of the butterfly. ZEBRA LONGWING BUTTERFLIES I hope everyone in your family is encouraged to go out and seek all the beautiful creatures APPEAR TO BE MAKING A STRONG in gardens and woods and take many more COMEBACK AND THE KEY���S BOBCATS wonderful photos. ALSO SEEM TO BE THRIVING Dear Otus, My little sister, Molly, took this butterfly photo and I think it���s so pretty. We���ve never seen it before, but there were lots of them in our back garden and lots more in our woods. What are they? Jen The Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius) is Florida���s state butterfly! And it is a marvel that you and others are again seeing them in such great numbers because the ghastly cold winter of December 2009 to March 2010 killed off most of these delicate creatures, along with their eggs, larvae and pupae. People were genuinely concerned that their numbers would never recover. Now they have! The Zebra Longwing butterfly. Photo courtesy of Molly