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 25 - 48 of 1818 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Pablo-and-Izzy
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 10, 2022
Observation date: Jun 28, 2021
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 05, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 05, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: Trants
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2022
Observation date: Jun 14, 2022
Submitted by: Bunji
Region: Wayne County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 10, 2022
Submitted by: jhdwelly
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 13, 2022
Observation date: Jun 12, 2022
Submitted by: crandal
Region: Summit County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2022
Observation date: Jun 22, 2021
Submitted by: Bonnie_imagine
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 02, 2022
Observation date: Jun 22, 2021
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Apr 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 08, 2006
Submitted by: Marco Sirois
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Jun 04, 2003
Submitted by: Ilse Gebhard
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 08, 2017
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Jan 12, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2017
Submitted by: SMcCoy
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jan 07, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2021
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Kent County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 25, 2021
Submitted by: BarbSendelbach
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Nov 15, 2021
Observation date: Jul 09, 2016
Submitted by: JohnBoback
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 16, 2017
Submitted by: hbpa1978
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 03, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Barry County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 31, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Schoolcraft County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 24, 2021
Observation date: Jun 25, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2015
Submitted by: bshettler
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jul 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 25, 2021
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 12, 2021
Submitted by: Chet Gottfried
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 26, 2021
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