Range:
This species is a resident of parts of South and Central America, Mexico, and
the southern U.S., from southern Arizona east to the Carolinas. It migrates
throughout all of the U.S., except the Pacific Northwest, into the southern
portion of Canada. In Idaho, it has been documented in three widely separated counties:
Boundary, Oneida, and Caribou.
Habitat:
It frequents open areas, such as fields, meadows, and grasslands.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
The caterpillar feeds on the leaves and flowers of a variety of plants from
different families. Common host species include violets and pansies (Viola
spp.), flax (Linum spp.), and passion flower (Passiflora spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies drink flower nectar.
Ecology:
There are three generations of caterpillars each growing season
in the northern part of its range, and four or more in the south. Adults overwinter
in the south and fly north in the spring and summer months.
Reproduction:
Males actively patrol
in search of receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on the leaves and stems
of host plants
.
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.