Text by Victoria Schlesinger; images by Jane Kim.
An open-and-shut case
A gulf fritillary (Dione vanillae) could grace your garden any time of year, but according to iNaturalist data, Bay Area sightings of adults peak in October. So here’s something to watch for: During courtship a male settles alongside a female and claps his wings open and closed. He sits at an angle such that this often envelops the females’ antennae. Researchers have speculated that the clapping may bring the female in contact with the male’s sex-pheromone-producing pores on the veins of his wings.
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