Wingspan 2 ½ - 3 1/8”. Fore wings almost twice as long as wide. Inhabits tropical forests and adjacent open spaces. Range: Southern United States along the Gulf Coast, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, rarely straying northward. Occasionally it swarms from Latin America into south Texas and Florida. Caterpillars eat passion flower foliage and both caterpillars and butterflies contain a poisonous chemical. This is an excellent defense mechanism against predators.