Greater Fritillary Butterflies (Speyeria spp.) and Nocturnal Caterpillars

Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly (Speyeria cybele) --probably
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2011. Do not copy.

I often see swallowtails and monarch butterflies (though not as many as I did years ago), but I had never really noticed the greater fritillaries. The greater fritillary genus (Speyeria) consists of about 15 species (give or take one depending upon which system is used) in North America, the largest of which measure out at just under a four inch wing-span. They belong to the same family, brushfooted butterflies (Nymphalidae) as the more well-known monarch, but receive much less attention.

In my yard, the greater fritillary butterflies prefer cone flowers, blazing stars (liatris spicata), and red clover. The caterpillars, however, are another matter altogether. According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, the great spangled fritillary caterpillar eats only the leaves of violets. furthermore, it will not be found on violets during the daytime as it leaves its food source to hide when it is light outside. At night, it returns to the violets and feeds. I looked for the caterpillars at night, but although there was damage to some of the violet leaves in my yard, I could not find them. They are fuzzy and black and have six rows of orange and red spikes.

Greater Fritillary Butterfly (Speyeria spp.) drinking nectar from a Cone Flower

The adult butterflies, however, don't try to hide. They happily flit about from flower to flower drinking nectar. It is difficult to identify some of the species of the greater fritillary genus (Speyeria spp.) because the visual differences are small. The one pictured on this blog entry and in the attached slide show is most likely a great spangled fritillary, but I can't be 100% sure of that identification so this is another one that gets an asterisk.

Quick facts about the Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele):

Diet: Adult butterflies eat nectar. Caterpillars eat violet leaves.

Range: Although many species of greater fritillary butterfly have very specific ranges, the great spangled fritillary can be found over much of the United States except the southernmost part of the country.

When is it here? Unlike Monarch butterflies which migrate all the way to Mexico for the winter, greater fritillaries overwinter right here! The Audubon Guide says they can be found in flight (adult form) from May to October. This suggests that hard frost kills the butterfly itself, however, the caterpillars, says bugguide.net, after hatching in late summer or fall, don't eat and instead they overwinter as tiny caterpillars unchanged from from their hatching size until the following spring when the violets begin putting out new growth.

Lifespan: Not found, but likely about 13-15 months.

IUCN Redlist Status: Not listed. Common

NOTE: Butterflies will sometimes drink from hummingbird feeders, try the feeder kit shown below from Perky Pet one of the companies that helps sponsor this blog. At the time of this posting, they are a having a big sale on hummingbird feeders!