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Atala (Eumaeus atala)

Family: Lycaenidae
FNAI State Rank: S2

Range: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties
Seasonal Occurrence: year-round

Habitat: anywhere its host plants are found, including in urban gardens
Host Plants: coontie (Zamia pumila) and other ornamental cycads

The once-abundant Atala all but disappeared from Florida in the mid 1960s. A colony discovered on Key Biscayne in the late 1970s may be the source of all of today's Atalas in Florida. The growing Florida population of this butterfly may be partially attributed to the increased plantings of coontie in urban areas.

Information on seasonal occurrence and host plant in Florida is extracted from Glassberg et al. (2000) Butterflies through Binoculars: Florida, Oxford University Press, and Cech et al. (2005) Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide, Princeton University Press.