The Atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala) in a friend's garden. It is very common here in South Florida but in 1950 it was considered extinct. Like the Monarch butterfly who only lays its eggs on Milkweed, the Atala only lay eggs on Coontie (Zamia integrifolia). By 1920 just about all the Coontie had been harvested. It was used as a flour that withstood Florida's heat and humidity. However in 1979 a naturalist discovered a colony of Atala in the Everglades and all of the present butterflies stem from that colony. The Atala is now so prevalent that some consider it a pest because Coontie is grown as an ornamental and the Atala devour it. But with the trend to grow native plants, many gardeners are growing Coontie for Atala food just as gardeners elsewhere grow Milkweed to help preserve the Monarchs.
