Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall. Their common names are shrub verbenas or lantanas. The generic name originated in Late Latin, where it refers to the unrelated Viburnum lantana.
This is a Lantana camara in our garden, which this butterfly is finding particularly tempting. The butterfly is the Australian painted lady butterfly, Vanessa kershawi.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Is that why the film was called Lantana? It only took me 18 years to ask the question :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! We have so many butterflies here at the moment, travelling to Europe via Israel in search of food and breeding sites. #FloralFridayFotos
ReplyDeleteI just read that thousands of painted lady butterflies are flying through Israel this week. That must be quite a sight. I enjoy growing lantana in garden pots and find it really is a good draw for butterflies.
ReplyDelete