Coonties and Atalas - Men's Floridian Shirt

Made from lightweight, 100% Viscose fabric, Okihasi’s Coonties and Atalas shirt may just make you feel like you could take flight. It will help you keep going on hot Florida days when others around you may be ready to surrender to Ol’ Sol. The shirt highlights the threatened Atala butterfly and is sure to start conversations. When they occur, be sure to impress upon people the importance of native plants.          

Pairings between animal and plant species can speak to the remarkably narrow niches that some creatures have evolved to occupy. Just try one time to get a koala bear to eat a Moon Pie. Nope, it’s gonna hold out for eucalyptus leaves instead. The relationship between monarch butterflies and the milkweed plant has been much written about in recent years throughout which populations of the familiar orange-and-black, long-distance fliers have disturbingly declined. Milkweed plants are the only food source for monarch caterpillars. To boost monarch numbers, people are encouraged to add milkweed plants to their gardens. Less well known is the spectacularly iridescent Atala butterfly’s dependence on the coontie palm, a low-lying shrub that looks like a fern. Unlike migratory monarchs, the Atala appears lackadaisical in flight and is a relative homebody. But paralleling the monarch life cycle, Atala caterpillars subsist on one food only — coonties. Development all but wiped out the miniature palms, imperiling the Atala. Thankfully, the planting of native plants including coonties has enabled Atala butterfly numbers to begin to rebound in South and Central Florida. - Steve Bornhoft

Please see below for more about the shirt, care, and sizing.

More on Coonties and Atalas below.

The Coonties and Atalas are another example of a positive comeback story for Florida's biodiversity. Coonties (Zamia integrifolia) are a small palm-like shrub, native to Florida, and have existed since the time of the dinosaurs. Indigenous peoples and early European settlers used Coonties to make flour from their root-like stems. Coonties are also the only plant that Atala caterpillars can feed on, making the Atala Butterfly (Eumaeus atala) a host plant specialist. In the early 1900s, Coonties were heavily harvested for starch production, and then lost most of their natural habitat due to development in the later 20th century. By the 1970s, Coonties were rare in the wild, which caused a near-extinction of the Atala Butterfly. Fortunately, there was a rediscovery of the Atalas in South Florida, and thanks to native plant gardening, the Atala population has started to recover, particularly in South and Central Florida. They are also a great example of the importance of planting native plants throughout Florida, so we can continue to support not only our native plants but also our beautiful and diverse wildlife. 

MATERIAL DETAILS

1. Light-weight 100% Viscose material made from bamboo - excellent to wear on those hot days.

2. Machine wash cold  on gentle - Mild detergents - Dry Cleaning Recommended

3. Line dry

4. Iron on a medium setting - take caution when ironing.

Sizing

Do not use generic sizing (S, M, L, etc). Take exact measurements of your body to get the correct size. See the sizing chart below.

Chest Size

Small - 40-43”

Medium - 43-45”

Large - 45-47”

XL - 47-51”

XXL - 52-55”

XXXL - 56-59”

Length

Small - 28.5-29.5”

Medium - 29.5-31.5”

Large - 31.5-32.5”

XL - 32.5-33.5”

XXL - 33.5”

XXXL - 33.5”

Shoulder

Small - 17-18.25”

Medium - 18-19”

Large - 19-19.75”

XL - 20.75”

XXL - 21.75”

XXXL - 22-22.5”