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Species Detail
Aphrodite Fritillary
Speyeria aphrodite (Fabricius, 1787)
Attributes of Speyeria aphroditeFamily: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae) Subfamily: Longwings (Heliconiinae) Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside reddish orange-brown; male forewing with black spot below cell and with no black scales on veins. Underside of hindwing has pale submarginal band narrow or missing. Life history: Males patrol for females during warm hours. Females walk about on the ground to lay single eggs near violets. First-stage caterpillars do not feed, but overwinter until spring, when they eat young leaves of violets. Flight: One brood from mid-June to mid-September. Wing span: 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 inches (6.3 - 8.3 cm). Caterpillar hosts: Various violet species including northern downy violet (Viola fimbriatula) and lance-leaved violet (V. lanceolata). Adult food: Nectar from flowers of milkweed and viper\'s bugloss, among others. Habitat: Moist prairies, high mountain meadows, openings in barrens, brushland, dry fields, open oak woods, bogs. Range: Canada south of the taiga from Nova Scotia west through the northern Midwest and Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains, then south in the mountains to east-central Arizona and northern New Mexico; south in the Appalachians to northern Georgia. Conservation: Not usually required. NatureServe Global Status: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Management needs: None reported. | Documented Records for Speyeria aphrodite
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