Boloria kriemhild
Relict Fritillary
Family:Nymphalidae
Family Description:
Alternate Common Names:Relict Meadow Fritillary, Kriemhild Fritillary.
Note: This species is referred to with genus name Clossiana by some authors.
Description:
Caterpillar: The caterpillar currently has not been described in detail by scientists.
Adult: The butterfly is medium-sized, with a wingspan of 1 3/8 to 1 3/4 inches. The upperside is orange to brown and marked with black zigzags on the inner half of the wings. The outer edge of the wing is lined with a row of spots and a row of dashed lines. Underneath, the wings are light orange to yellow. The forewing has a vertical row of outward pointing ">’s" up the middle, while the hindwing appears patched with irregularly shaped yellow and orange spots.

Range:
This species has a small range which runs from the Wasatch Mountains of Utah straight north through the Rocky Mountians on the border of Idaho and Wyoming and into southern Montana.

Habitat:
 It is most often found in moist habitats, including meadows, forest edges, and clearings.

Diet:

Caterpillar: Caterpillars feed on various species of violets (Viola spp.).
Adult: Butterflies are known to obtain flower nectar from asters (Aster spp.) and yellow colored flowers of the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Ecology:
There is one generation of caterpillars each summer. Caterpillars overwinter in a physiological state called diapause. Adults generally fly from mid-June to early August.

Reproduction:
 Males find receptive females by actively patrolling meadows. The locations chosen by females for laying their eggs have not been reported.

Conservation:
Idaho Status: Unprotected nongame species.
Global Rank:

G4; population levels are secure, but may be of concern in the future..

References:
Ferris, C. D. and F. M. Brown. (eds.) 1981. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, USA, 442 pp.

Opler, P. A., H. Pavulaan, and R. E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, North Dakota, USA: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm (Version 05Nov98).

Opler, P. A. and A. B.Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to the Western Butterflies.   Second Edition.  Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA, 540 pp.

Pyle, R. M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York, USA, 924 pp.

Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA, 583 pp.

Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western U.S.A. Butterflies (Including Adjacent Parts of Canada and Mexico). Published by authors, Denver, Colorado, USA, 275 pp.