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 385 - 408 of 8275 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: Janarama
Region: Flathead County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2022
Submitted by: Lmcbw
Region: Avery County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 22, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2022
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 20, 2022
Observation date: Aug 16, 2022
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2022
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 11, 2022
Submitted by: Lynn Ferris
Region: Dutchess County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2022
Submitted by: c4c
Region: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Chrysanthemum
Region: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: lpage6007
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 09, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2015
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: James City County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2022
Submitted by: bensonladd
Region: Clark County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 27, 2022
Submitted by: Flutterbysarefree
Region: Shelby County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2022
Submitted by: getherington
Region: Putnam County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Jul 27, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 29, 2022
Observation date: Jun 14, 2022
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Montgomery County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 29, 2022
Observation date: Jul 27, 2022
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 28, 2022
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