Page 38 - OutdoorOK2024MayJune ONLINE

ALEx HARMON/CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED

JAMES HUNG/CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED JENA DONNELL/ODWC

JENA DONNELL/ODWC

A yellow frosted elfin caterpillar feeds on a wild indigo plant near Durant, Oklahoma.
Adult elfins aren’t picky about their nectar source and will feed from
a variety of blooms. But the butterflies are a little more particular about
where they lay their eggs. In Oklahoma, female frosted elfins primarily
seek out yellow wild indigo, Baptisia sphaerocarpa, but Smith’s team
also documented elfins using the related Nuttall’s wild indigo, Baptisia
nuttalliana, as host plants for their caterpillars. Interestingly, frosted
elfin caterpillars found in Oklahoma and the region are bright yellow
instead of the green found in other parts of the range.
While feeding on the wild indigo, frosted elfin caterpillars produce a
sugary substance that may foster a connection with ants known as myr-
mecophily. In some instances, the ants may be persuaded to care for the
caterpillar by providing protection, but ants may also attack the elfin’s lar-
vae. Smith’s team documented both sides of this behavior in Oklahoma. Smith’s team targeted clumps of the frosted elfin’s host plant,
yellow wild indigo, during the spring butterfly surveys.

36 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA