Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Large. Upperside of male tan to orange with black scales on forewing veins; female tawny, darker than male. Underside of hindwing with wide pale submarginal band and large silver spots.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 4 inches (6.3 - 10.1 cm).
Life History: Males patrol open areas for females. Eggs are laid in late summer on or near host violets. Newly-hatched caterpillars do not feed, but overwinter until spring, when they eat young violet leaves.
Flight: One brood from mid-June to mid-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various violet species (Viola).
Adult Food: Nectar from many species of flowers including milkweeds, thistles, ironweed, dogbane, mountain laurel, verbena, vetch, bergamot, red clover, joe-pye weed, and purple coneflower.
Habitat: Open, moist places including fields, valleys, pastures, right-of-ways, meadows, open woodland, prairies.
Range: Alberta east to Nova Scotia, south to central California, New Mexico, central Arkansas, and northern Georgia. Comments: The most common fritillary throughout most of the eastern United States.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 8048 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_1922_edited-1.jpg?itok=I1SOfNS6)
Observation date: Jun 15, 2021
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 05, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 09, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 22, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/photo_4_jun-2016-fritillary.jpg?itok=Y9-7ZtU2)
Observation date: Jun 18, 2016
Submitted by: n_meadows_jr
Region: United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Feb 15, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_3966.jpeg?itok=ncni4OXJ)
Observation date: Jun 16, 2022
Submitted by: Lisa H
Region: Ottawa County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Feb 03, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/nik_9656.jpeg?itok=gaKNhPX7)
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: neilpa
Region: Alcona County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jan 17, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn5963.jpg?itok=sElFA1We)
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: davidboon
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jan 17, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/5bece26b-11ea-4941-8014-34fdc9adb6c7.jpeg?itok=7qR_PKnx)
Observation date: Aug 26, 2023
Submitted by: BallingerCole
Region: Leelanau County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jan 17, 2024
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Observation date: Aug 26, 2023
Submitted by: BallingerCole
Region: Leelanau County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jan 17, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/butterfly_black_and_white_0.jpg?itok=Kd3GJDVj)
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: CripCril
Region: Boundary County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Nov 24, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_1287_great_spangled_fritillary.jpg?itok=s_-iQTXH)
Observation date: Sep 24, 2023
Submitted by: Crystal Rain-Fe...
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 28, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn2546.jpeg?itok=AW1jxllL)
Observation date: Aug 18, 2019
Submitted by: paulgraham
Region: Summit County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 18, 2023
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Observation date: Jul 23, 2017
Submitted by: Onegraham
Region: Grand County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 18, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_20230914_1523404102.jpg?itok=e7MdNrR6)
Observation date: Sep 14, 2023
Submitted by: lkalisz
Region: Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 17, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20230914_-_great_spangled_fritillary_-_113_-_img_1301_-_67.jpg?itok=y9iwu9P0)
Observation date: Sep 14, 2023
Submitted by: rtsmith
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 15, 2023
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Observation date: Sep 14, 2023
Submitted by: Patricia R Warren
Region: Orange County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2023
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Observation date: Jul 16, 2020
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20230912_152524316.mp_.jpg?itok=rxQ71Lq6)
Observation date: Sep 12, 2023
Submitted by: NBeaty
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/meadow_fritillary_butterly.jpg?itok=AYZciqCk)
Observation date: Jul 18, 2023
Submitted by: Paul C. Agidius
Region: Latah County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/great_spangled_fritillary_60.jpg?itok=zflayH9_)
Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: Paul C. Agidius
Region: Latah County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/possibly_a_nokomis_fritillary.jpg?itok=HZLs2iOC)
Observation date: Jul 23, 2023
Submitted by: Paul C. Agidius
Region: Latah County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/speyeria_cybele_20230909.jpg?itok=HBPu7QU9)
Observation date: Sep 09, 2023
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 09, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_3135.jpeg?itok=jOZqSewS)
Observation date: Sep 06, 2023
Submitted by: Laurenharts
Region: Sumner County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 07, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/_elf7845_1.jpeg?itok=Loj8dv8S)
Observation date: Sep 05, 2023
Submitted by: ELFredrickson
Region: Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_6442_0.jpeg?itok=JwcyqHz9)
Observation date: Sep 04, 2023
Submitted by: getherington
Region: Putnam County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
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