The rare Atala Butterfly (Eumaeus Ayala) uses the native Coontie plant as its larval host. We did not spot an Atala, as they have not been reported in our county, but my child got a shot of the Coontie using the iNaturalist Seek app. Just for fun, he escaped the long Chick-fil-A car line!
We planted a Coontie in our butterfly garden. Atala are listed as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in Florida.
