Common Mestra (Mestra amymone [Ménétriés])
Wing span: 1 3/8 - 1 15/16 inches (3.5 - 5 cm).
Identification: Upperside is gray-white to light brown; hindwing has a median row of white spots and an orange marginal band.
Underside is pale orange with white markings.
Life history: Adults fly slowly and stay near the hostplants.
Flight: Throughout the year in South Texas, although it is most numerous from June-November.
Caterpillar hosts: Noseburn (Tragia neptifolia) in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).
Adult food: Have been seen at Lantana flowers.
Habitat: Subtropical forest edges, roadsides, weedy fields.
Range: Costa Rica north through Central America to Mexico and South Texas. Strays north to South Dakota and Minnesota.
