Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Intentionally looking for Harvesters generally leads to disappointment—they tend to show up unexpectedly, usually one or two at time.  Their flight has been described as a ricocheting bullet or a whirling dervish, but when laying eggs or sipping liquids, Harvesters may be quite docile and reluctant to move.

The Harvester's proboscis is proportionately shorter than that of any other butterfly.  Harvesters typically do not nectar. They sip liquid from aphid honeydew, carrion, dung, tree sap and mud. Animal droppings are also visited. Males gather at wet spots along roads and streams.  They perch on low branches to watch for unmated females.

Female Harvesters insert their eggs deep within clumps of wooly aphids. Harvester caterpillars are carnivorous--the proverbial “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”  Their sharp, pointed mouthparts enable them to impale unsuspecting aphids, and they are highly effective predators. This high protein diet enables them to grow rapidly, so they complete all life cycle stages in record time, sometimes in as little as three weeks.  Harvester chrysalides are typically described as resembling a monkey’s face. From the side, they also look like an animal dropping, which probably results in better protection from predators.

Harvesters range across the eastern United States.  In Alabama, they are widespread and probably occur in more counties than current records indicate.