Cruiser butterflies have tons of personality !!

    As caterpillars, they are very fast and frisky, and they love to wander.

    One interesting trait they have that distinguishes them from our other  species is the tendency for female Cruisers to lay their eggs on dead-cell matter rather than directly on the leaf. (In nature this might be on an old leaf or a nearby dead twig.)

   They have cleverly learned that not many predators eat dead-cell matter, therefore, their eggs will have a better chance of survival.

   Cruiser butterflies are a species of butterfly native to the tropics of New Guinea and surrounding islands, and parts of Queensland in Australia.
The scientific name of a cruiser butterfly is Vindula arsinoe and it is from the family Nymphalidae, the family of Brush - Footed butterflies.
The wings of a male cruiser butterfly are mostly an orange color, decorated with black patterns including a couple of eye spots.
   Cruiser butterflies have a wingspan that generally ranges from 7.5 to 8.2 centimetres (3 to 3.2 inches) in length.
   A female cruiser has a combination of yellow/orange, brown, black and white colored wings, and despite its difference in appearance to the male, it has similar black markings. Cruiser caterpillars are black and yellow to white in color, and they have black branch like spikes down the back and sides of their body.
   The chrysalis of a cruiser butterfly reaches a length of 3 centimeters (1.2 inches), and is colored brown to green, while the caterpillar itself is a centimeter (0.4 inches) longer.
   Cruiser larvae feed primarily from the species of the passion flower family, while the butterflies feed on nectar from various flowers.
   Cruisers have a habit of congregating around collections of moist to wet soil, where they obtain nutrients from the liquid they consume there, and this phenomenon is known as ‘mud-puddling’.
   The eggs of a female cruiser butterfly vary from a white to brown color, with many small bumps on the exterior, and they are about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) in height