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Malachite (Siproeta stelenes)

Family: Nymphalidae
FNAI State Rank: S2S3

Range: southern peninsular Florida from Lake Okeechobee southward
Seasonal Occurrence: year-round

Habitat: tropical hammocks, overgrown citrus groves
Host Plants: brown's blechum(Blechum pyramidatum)

The Malachite's bright green coloration is unique among Florida butterflies. Malachites occasionally strayed into Florida from the Caribbean before the species established itself as part of the natural Florida butterfly fauna in the early 1970s. Populations became locally common until reduced by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

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.