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Step 1
Familiarize yourself with the buckeye butterfly's general features. The butterfly has clearly demarcated anterior and posterior wings, each of which bears different eyespots and color patterns. Learn these general characteristics to get a solid basis to identify the buckeye.
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Step 2
Look for the orange bars. One of the most distinctive features of the common buckeye butterfly is the two orange bars situated on the butterfly's forewings. There are two bars with rounded edges and pinched middles on each of the butterfly's forewings.
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Step 3
Know the eyespots. The most noticeable of the buckeye butterfly's features are its eyespots. In addition to their subtle coloring, the eyespots have very regular patterns. The buckeye has a total of four eye spots, with two on the forewing and the other two more posterior. The most anterior and posterior of the eyespots are the smallest. The inner two eyespots are quite large. The more posterior of these has a lavender-purple shading, while the anterior spots show a white pinhole on a black background.
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Step 4
Check out a butterfly collection. The common buckeye butterfly will be included in any serious butterfly collection. Take a magnifying glass, a notebook and a camera to note the butterfly's features that look most significant to you.
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Step 5
Visit the butterfly's habitat. The common buckeye lives in the southern United States as well as parts of central and northern California and in parts of Mexico, Bermuda and Cuba. Look for the buckeye in open sunny areas like meadows and flower fields.
