the Harris’ checkerspot butterfly
Chlosyne harrisii – Family Nymphalidae
Host plant for the Harris’ Checkerspot Caterpillar
The Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly’s larval host plant is a singular plant species, the Flat-topped Aster (Aster umbellatus). The Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly is never far from where its host plant grows. Fortunately, the Flat-topped White Aster is a prolific plant that grows on rural roadsides and ditches, in wet meadows, pastures, riversides, and bog edges.
Growing Flat-topped Aster
Attract the Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly to your butterfly garden by growing its host plant, Flat-topped Aster. The Flat-topped Aster will thrive in full sun to part shade. It prefers slightly acidic soil that is medium, medium-wet and wet. It can grow up to 5 feet tall. The blooming season is from July to October. It spreads via rhizomes and self-seeding.
Nectar Plants for the Harris’ Checkerspot Butterfly
The Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly nectars primarily on its host plant, the Flat-topped White Aster; however, it will also nectar on blossoms that grow near its host plant, such as Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) and Gray-stemmed Dogwood (Cornus racemosa).
The Harris’ Checkerspot Butterfly
Description: The upper side of the Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly is a complex pattern in orange and black with a wide dark border. The wings of the underside are a lighter orange-brown with white and black patterns. The male and female are similar in appearance.
Flight/Broods: There is one brood per year, and they fly from early June to early July.
The Harris’ Checkerspot Butterfly Range: Harris’ Checkerspots are found in Eastern Canada, excluding Newfoundland and Labrador; through the New England States, south to New Jersey and west to North Dakota in the USA.
Wingspan: 1 1/4 ‑ 1 3/4″ (3.6–5.1 cm)
The Harris’ Checkerspot Egg
The female lays her yellow, dome-shaped eggs in clusters under the middle stem leaves of several of her host plants. The eggs will take 5-10 days to hatch.
The Harris’ Checkerspot Caterpillar
The caterpillar is orange with black bands across its body. It has branched spines and a black head. Orange, with black transverse bands; branched spines and a black head.
During the larval stage, Harris’ Checkerspots are found exclusively on Flat-topped Aster.
After hatching, the larvae will feed communally and devour their natal leaf. Working their way down the plant, they form a web to lie upon while they feed. They go through three instars and continue feeding until mid-August. Towards the end of August, they leave their web and overwinter in the leaf litter beneath the host plants.
The Harris’ Checkerspot Chrysalis
In the spring, overwintered caterpillars form a chrysalis and pupate in late May and early June.
Leave the Leaves
Since the Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly overwinters as a caterpillar in the leaf litter beneath its host plant, tread lightly in your fall and winter butterfly garden and leave the leaves!
Reducing your lawn, growing more native plants and leaving the leaves in your garden are crucial things to do in a wildlife/butterfly garden. There are many different species of insects that shelter, develop and overwinter in leaf litter. Having leaf litter and plants beneath your trees also provides a soft landing and safe shelter for any chrysalis or caterpillars that become detached from branches or stems.
Shelter
Butterflies often need shelter areas within their habitat to hide from predators and protect themselves in bad weather. Shrubs, preferably native, and brush-piles are great shelters for butterflies. By planting the host and nectar plants that the Harris’ Checkerspot butterfly needs to complete its lifecycle, you will also be providing the habitat for other pollinators.
A Butterfly Garden – is a pollinator/wildlife garden. Never use herbicides or pesticides anywhere near a butterfly garden.
Look but do not touch – please do not buy butterfly kits or chrysalis from commercial breeders or home-reared butterflies. This is cruel to butterflies, can create unfit populations and spread diseases to the wild species.
Links to find out more about plants native to your area:
https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/native-plant-encyclopedia
Start building butterfly gardens:
https://davidsuzuki.org/take-action/act-locally/butterflyway
https://homegrownnationalpark.org
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