the great spangled fritillary butterfly
Speyeria cybele
The Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly is in the Speyeria genus. There are fourteen species of Fritillary butterflies in the Speyeria genus and sixteen species of Fritillary butterflies in the Bolloria genus. Like all Fritillaries, the caterpillar host plants for the Great Spangled Fritillary are various violet species (Viola spp).
The Great Spangled Fritillary Caterpillar Host Plant(s)
Various violet species (Viola spp.)
Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly Diet/Nectar Plants
Adults eat the nectar from many species of flowers such as milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum), Joe Pye’s (Eutrochium spp), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), its host plants-violets (Viola spp.), and more.
Fritillary butterflies and Monarch butterflies share many of the same nectar plants. If you have planted a garden for Monarchs and have added violets to your butterfly garden, you may find Fritillaries and Monarchs in your garden sharing the same nectar plants.
Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly
The upper surface wings of the Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly are orange-brown, becoming darker towards the body. The upper surfaces of the wings have sub-marginal lines, spots, and crescents on both the fore and hind wings; the fore wings also have a variety of dark patterns. Females are usually slightly larger and darker than males.
Wingspan: 6 – 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in)
Broods/Flight: There is one brood per year, and it flies from mid-June to mid-October.
Habitat: Great Spangled Fritillaries are found in both wet and dry habitats; in meadows, fields, woodland edges, openings, and gardens that provide the right habitat.
The Great Spangled Fritillary Range
In Canada, the Great Spangled Fritillary ranges from southern British Columbia, the southern part of the provinces across Canada to the Maritimes, but excludes Newfoundland and Labrador.
In the US, they range from the west coast to the north of California, across the northern states to the east coast, and as far south as northern Georgia.
*Several species of Fritillaries range in Newfoundland and Labrador, such as the Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis), whose host plants are also violets.
Great Spangled Fritillary Eggs
The eggs of the Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly are light brown, dome-shaped, with vertical ridges. The female lays her eggs singly at the base of the host plant in late summer. They hatch in 10 to 21 days, depending on the temperature.
Great Spangled Fritillary Caterpillar
The caterpillars are black with orange spots and spines on all the segments of their bodies. The first instar eats its eggshell and then enters diapause to overwinter. They overwinter in leaf litter until spring. In the spring, the caterpillars feed at night on the leaves and flowers of young violets. During the day, they hide among leaf litter or rocks away from the host plant.
Overwintering: as a caterpillar.
Great Spangled Fritillary Chrysalis
In the late spring, the caterpillar is ready to pupate. It attaches a silken pad (cremaster) under a rock, log, or any sheltered place and suspends its head downward. It transforms into a chrysalis that is brown or reddish brown, blotched with black. It has black abdominal spines. Pupation lasts two to three weeks.
Attracting Other Butterflies to Your Garden
Many other species of butterflies share the same nectar plants with the Great Spangled Fritillary. By adding their particular host plants, you can attract them to your garden. Some of these butterflies profiled on this blog are:
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 leaves and leaf litter. Having leaf litter and plants beneath your trees also provides a soft landing and safe refuge for any chrysalis or caterpillars that become detached from branches or stems. Having leaf litter in your garden is important for the survival of Great Spangled butterflies, as the caterpillars shelter in the leaves during the day and live in the leaves all winter. This is a good reason to leave the leaves in your butterfly garden!
Shelter
Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies need shelter areas during the summer to hide from predators and protect themselves in bad weather. Shrubs, preferably native, and brush-piles are great shelters for butterflies.
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 chrysalises 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
https://www.wildflower.org
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