Great Spangled Fritillary

Fascinating facts about the Great Spangled Fritillary

• Caterpillars of this butterfly are picky eaters, feeding on native violets such as the round-leaf violet (Viola rotundifolia), arrow-leaf violet (Viola fimbriatula) and common blue violet (Viola sororia). These plants grow in the same damp meadow edges the adults love, creating a tight life-cycle loop: the adult lays eggs on the violet leaves, the larvae munch the foliage, then pupate to emerge as the next generation of flyers. This dependence ties the butterfly's fate to the health of violet populations.
• Scientists have identified nine subspecies, each stamped with the year it was described: S. c. carpenterii (Edwards, 1876), S. c. charlottii (Barnes, 1897), S. c. cybele (Fabricius, 1775), S. c. krautwurmi (Holland, 1931), S. c. leto (Behr, 1862), S. c. letona (dos Passos & Grey, 1945), S. c. novascotiae (McDunnough, 1935), S. c. pseudocarpenteri (F. & R. Chermock, 1940) and S. c. pugetensis (Chermock & Frechin, 1947).
• Its wings stretch from 62 mm to 88 mm. The orange upper wings are marked by five black dashes near the forewing base and a series of irregular black dashes at the hindwing base, while two rows of black crescents line the wing edges.
• The great spanged fritillary's wingspan measures between 62 and 88 mm. Its upper wings display a vivid orange ground colour marked by five black dashes near the forewing base and additional irregular dashes at the hindwing base. Along the wing margins two rows of black crescents add further contrast, while the underside mirrors the orange tone with silver spotting.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Great Spangled Fritillary

As the Great Spangled Fritillary dances through the warm, sun-drenched meadows, its delicate wings beat in a mesmerizing rhythm, casting a hypnotic spell on all who witness its ethereal beauty. With each gentle flutter, the intricate patterns of silver spots and orange hues seem to shimmer and come alive, as if infused with an inner light that guides this creature through its languid journey. In its effortless glide, the Great Spangled Fritillary embodies the very essence of carefree abandon, a true marvel of nature's artistry.

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