No Use. Heliconius erato, Red Postman, on Pagoda Flower, Clerodendrum paniculatum, Amsterdam Zoo ARTIS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Butterfly House of the Amsterdam Zoo ARTIS on these dark December days provides succor to me and obviously also to those wonderful Heliconian Butterflies, in this case a Red Postman. I watched for a while as it was absorbing nectar from a Pagoda Flower. Look at the yellow pollen at the top of its proboscis.
What use Butterfly's - or for that matter, other insects' - foraging on Clerodendrum has for those flowers is unclear. From learned literature I understand developed seed from Pagoda Flowers is only very rarely found. The plant reproduces by its roots.
No Use. Heliconius erato, Red Postman, on Pagoda Flower, Clerodendrum paniculatum, Amsterdam Zoo ARTIS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Butterfly House of the Amsterdam Zoo ARTIS on these dark December days provides succor to me and obviously also to those wonderful Heliconian Butterflies, in this case a Red Postman. I watched for a while as it was absorbing nectar from a Pagoda Flower. Look at the yellow pollen at the top of its proboscis.
What use Butterfly's - or for that matter, other insects' - foraging on Clerodendrum has for those flowers is unclear. From learned literature I understand developed seed from Pagoda Flowers is only very rarely found. The plant reproduces by its roots.