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.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 1816 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 03, 2021
Submitted by: Windsor
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 07, 2021
Submitted by: kristasessions
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 02, 2021
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: Sheryl Johnson
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 04, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Lenawee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 25, 2021
Submitted by: Bluefox122
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 24, 2021
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Jackson County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 11, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Gratiot County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 11, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Forest County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 20, 2021
Observation date: Jun 19, 2021
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 20, 2021
Observation date: Jun 10, 2021
Submitted by: woody meristem
Region: Lamoille County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 15, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2021
Submitted by: Cheryl Zielonka
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 13, 2021
Observation date: Jun 10, 2021
Submitted by: amparrish15
Region: McHenry County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2021
Submitted by: opiliones
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 09, 2021
Observation date: May 27, 2020
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: May 30, 2021
Observation date: Apr 18, 2021
Submitted by: Blue Ridge Disc...
Region: Grayson County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 19, 2021
Observation date: Jun 21, 2008
Submitted by: old guy
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Mar 18, 2021
Observation date: Jul 03, 2020
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Feb 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 08, 2006
Submitted by: wade wander
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Jack Connor
Verified date: Feb 17, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 1988
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Feb 15, 2021
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: Sheryl Johnson
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 10, 2021
Observation date: May 28, 2012
Submitted by: CelestiHel
Region: Washington County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 31, 2020
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