coontie

atala hairstreak (Eumaeus atala) close up of a black, orange and blue butterfly

The atala hairstreak (Eumaeus atala) was believed to be extinct in Florida until 1979. The atala hairstreaks were very abundant in the early 1900’s, but it gradually got harder to live because its host plant, coontie (Zamia pumila), was being overharvested for their roots. The decline also had a lot […]

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