The Purple Passionflower Vine (Passiflora incarnata) twines around the fence just to the left of the dedication plaque and several other places around the fence. The 3-5 lobed leaves with nectar glands on the leaf petioles (stems) are characteristic of this species. Passionflowers have beautiful, intricate flowers and produce edible fruit. There are 11 species found in Florida, 6 of which are native and 3 of those are listed as endangered. Another species native to Charlotte County, the Corkey Stem Passionflower (Passiflora suburosa), is smaller with a green flower. It can be found along the trails and it even comes up in my yard.
The Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia) is the Florida State Butterfly and is a common visitor to the garden. Watch and you might see a female flit from leaf to leaf placing the tip of her abdomen down in order to deposit her eggs on a passionvine leaf. Look carefully and you will see tiny yellow eggs like the one in the picture. Some of those eggs in the picture have hatched and you can see a tiny yellow caterpillar in the background. After a couple of instars, where the caterpillar sheds its skin in order to grow, its color will change to black and white. Zebra Longwing caterpillars eat nothing but Passionflower Vine and incorporate the plant's toxins into their bodies making them and the butterflies unpalatable to predators.
