Range:
This species ranges from eastern British Columbia to Newfoundland, south to
the northern parts of Oregon, Idaho,
and Montana, and throughout the northeastern quarter of the U.S. as far south
as Tennessee.
Habitat:
It is primarily found in wet to moist habitats, including bogs, marshes, wet fields and meadows.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars eat the leaves of various species of violets (Viola spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies obtain nectar usually from flowers in the sunflower family (Asteraceae),
such as dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) and ox-eyed daises (Chrysanthemum
leucanthemum).
Ecology:
Caterpillars overwinter in a physiological state called diapause. The number of generations each year depends on the location: one in the west, two in the north and three in the south. In the case of multiple generations in a given summer, only the last generation of caterpillars overwinters. Adults generally fly from early May to early September.
Reproduction:
Males actively patrol
for receptive females. During courtship the male will hover above the female.
Females lay eggs on randomly selected plants and plant parts, and very seldom
on violets.
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.