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 49 - 72 of 8274 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 30, 2025
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 01, 2025
Observation date: Jul 27, 2025
Submitted by: Razzlefish
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 27, 2025
Observation date: Jul 23, 2025
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 21, 2025
Submitted by: Razzlefish
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 21, 2025
Observation date: Jul 15, 2025
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 15, 2019
Submitted by: John Heneghan
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 19, 2025
Observation date: Jul 15, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 16, 2025
Observation date: Jul 15, 2025
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 16, 2025
Observation date: Jul 15, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 16, 2025
Observation date: Jul 13, 2025
Submitted by: Mark Wheeler
Region: Washington County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 11, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 24, 2021
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 11, 2009
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jun 28, 2020
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jun 19, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Union County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jun 25, 2023
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Sep 13, 2020
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Warren County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 04, 2022
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 11, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 12, 2025
Observation date: Jul 11, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 12, 2025
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