Range:
This species ranges from Alaska south and east through Canada to southern Manitoba,
extending into the U.S. in patches of the Pacific Northwest to central California,
and from northern Idaho and western
Montana south to Arizona and New Mexico.
Habitat:
It occurs in cool environments such as moist meadows north-facing slopes.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of several species of violets (Viola
spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies drink flower nectar, often
from mints (Mentha spp.) and yellow flowers belonging to the sunflower
family (Asteraceae). Additional moisture and nutrients may also be obtained
from mud and dung.
Ecology:
There is one new generation of caterpillars each year. Eggs hatch in the fall;
the newly emerged caterpillars, having not yet fed, enter a physiological state
called diapause
to overwinter. In the spring the young caterpillars feed on the new leaves of
host plants.
Adults generally fly
from June through October. Fritillaries are long-lived for a butterfly, surviving
several weeks to months.
Reproduction:
Males actively patrol
in search of receptive females in open areas. pheromones
,
chemicals used to locate and attract the opposite sex, are produced by both
male and female Fritillaries. These chemicals are believed to play an important
role in assisting these butterflies to find and recognize other members of their
own species. Eggs are laid singly near host plants. In cases where the violet
plant has already withered and blown away, females are still able to lay their
eggs near to where the host plant will reappear the next spring. This is possible,
it is believed, because females are able to locate violet roots by smell!
Conservation:
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Global Rank: |
G5; populations are widespread, abundant, and secure. |
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.