Attributes of Euphydryas phaeton

Baltimore Checkerspot
Euphydryas phaeton (Drury, 1773)

Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside is black with red-orange crescents on outer margins of both wings and rows of creamy white spots inward.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 3/4 inches (4.5 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males perch near the ground to find females. Eggs are laid in groups of 100-700 under host plant leaves. Newly-hatched caterpillars move to the tip of the plant and feed together in a web which is enlarged downward as the caterpillars consume more of the plant. These caterpillars suffer high mortality from falling off the plant and from parasitism by wasps. Fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate in rolled leaves on the ground.
Flight: One brood; from May-June in the south, June-August in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants where eggs are laid and that caterpillars eat before hibernating are turtlehead (Chelone glabra), hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), English plantain (Plantago lanceolata), and false foxglove (Aureolaria). After overwintering, caterpillars may continue to use these plants, but may also wander and feed on unrelated plants including arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), common lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and white ash (Fraxinus americana).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of milkweed, viburnum, and wild rose.
Habitat: Wet meadows, bogs, and marshes in the northeast part of the range; dry open or wooded hillsides in the southwest.
Range: Very local. Nova Scotia west across the Great Lakes region to southeast Manitoba; south through the eastern United States to northern Georgia, northern Mississippi, and northeast Oklahoma. Isolated records in northeast Texas and Nebraska.
Conservation: Some regional populations may be declining.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Euphydryas phaeton

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Euphydryas phaeton - Baltimore-Simons.jpg

Euphydryas phaeton - Baltimore-Simons.jpg
Euphydryas phaeton - und-BaltimoreCheckerspot-Simons.jpg

Euphydryas phaeton - und-BaltimoreCheckerspot-Simons.jpg

Euphydryas phaeton - Euphydryas_phaetonOpler.jpg

Euphydryas phaeton - Euphydryas_phaetonOpler.jpg
Euphydryas phaeton - Euphydryas_phaeton2Opler.jpg

Euphydryas phaeton - Euphydryas_phaeton2Opler.jpg

The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.

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Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
June 10, 2013 doris potter Quebec, Canada June 17, 2013 Details
May 25, 2013 dspicer Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States May 26, 2013 Details
May 14, 2012 rick9213 Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States April 24, 2013 Details
June 22, 2012 FlutterbyButterfly Erie County, New York, United States March 10, 2013 Details
July 02, 2012 tjantscher Anoka County, Minnesota, United States January 08, 2013 Details
June 15, 1993 richardhsmith (Brent Steury) Kent County, Maryland, United States January 08, 2013 Details
June 10, 2012 doris potter Ontario, Canada November 20, 2012 Details
July 28, 2012 joanne.russo Windham County, Vermont, United States October 30, 2012 Details
July 10, 2012 Kyle Jones Windsor County, Vermont, United States October 24, 2012 Details
June 18, 2012 kreakes Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States October 24, 2012 Details
July 01, 2012 Kyle Jones Windsor County, Vermont, United States October 08, 2012 Details
July 28, 2012 Dr. Philippe Blais Quebec, Canada September 24, 2012 Details
June 23, 2012 ddentzer Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States September 14, 2012 Details
June 23, 2012 ddentzer Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States September 14, 2012 Details
July 07, 2012 wayne13114 Oswego County, New York, United States September 13, 2012 Details
June 28, 2012 Appy-Brown Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States September 06, 2012 Details
July 05, 2011 James R. Conrad Nantucket County, Massachusetts, United States July 23, 2012 Details
June 26, 2012 Dave Kinney Wexford County, Michigan, United States July 18, 2012 Details
June 15, 2012 Rick Henle Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States July 07, 2012 Details
June 30, 2012 Rick Henle Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States July 07, 2012 Details
June 21, 2012 Larry522 Washington County, Vermont, United States June 26, 2012 Details
June 07, 2012 Dave Kinney Wexford County, Michigan, United States June 23, 2012 Details
June 08, 2012 Dave Kinney Wexford County, Michigan, United States June 23, 2012 Details
May 27, 2012 Kyle Jones Windsor County, Vermont, United States June 18, 2012 Details
June 10, 2012 Cheryl Jennings Randolph County, West Virginia, United States June 16, 2012 Details
June 12, 2012 Rodney Campbell Lapeer County, Michigan, United States June 13, 2012 Details
June 01, 2012 Rick Henle Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States June 11, 2012 Details
July 09, 2011 Don Gagnon Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States June 11, 2012 Details
July 09, 2011 Don Gagnon Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States June 11, 2012 Details
June 02, 2012 BOGwalker St Louis County, Minnesota, United States June 10, 2012 Details
June 02, 2012 Doug Taron Cook County, Illinois, United States June 08, 2012 Details
May 18, 2012 HHowell Johnson County, Tennessee, United States May 21, 2012 Details
May 06, 2012 HHowell Scott County, Tennessee, United States May 10, 2012 Details
April 14, 2012 Rangertsp Morgan County, Tennessee, United States April 20, 2012 Details
April 14, 2012 Rangertsp Morgan County, Tennessee, United States April 17, 2012 Details
June 27, 1998 legacy.reporter (Joe Choiniere) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 13, 1997 legacy.reporter (Alison Robb) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 11, 1999 legacy.reporter (Alison Robb) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 13, 1998 legacy.reporter (Alison Robb) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 15, 1998 legacy.reporter (Alison Robb) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
June 28, 1999 legacy.reporter (Alison Robb) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
June 28, 1994 legacy.reporter (Tor Hansen) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
June 23, 1997 legacy.reporter (K. Wren) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 11, 1999 legacy.reporter (Falmouth Xerces) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 12, 1997 legacy.reporter (Jackie Sones) Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 14, 1993 legacy.reporter (Pam Weatherbee) Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 25, 1992 legacy.reporter (Tom Dodd) Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
June 16, 1999 legacy.reporter (Pam Weatherbee) Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 25, 1992 legacy.reporter (Tom Tyning #) Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details
July 24, 1993 legacy.reporter (Tom Tyning et al) Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States January 01, 2012 Details