Common Buckeye Junonia coenia

Eyespots on both wings warn predators to stay away—and when that fails, they're distracted from the butterfly's vital body. This wide-ranging butterfly spans North America from Canada to South America, thriving in open fields and dunes up to 4,300 feet elevation. Remarkably, molecular evidence shows its ancestors originated in Africa, then experienced divergence in Asia before eventually spreading to the Americas.

The closely related gray buckeye was once considered merely a western subspecies of this species, but is now recognized as distinct. This common buckeye prefers sunny, open habitats with low vegetation and patches of bare ground where it can easily spot approaching threats and rapidly escape.