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 481 - 504 of 8275 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: Peg Serani
Region: Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jan 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: Peg Serani
Region: Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jan 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: Peg Serani
Region: Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jan 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: reupurtbones
Region: Metcalfe County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2020
Submitted by: Bodkin
Region: Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Dec 06, 2021
Observation date: Aug 17, 2021
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Nov 28, 2021
Observation date: Sep 05, 2021
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Nov 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2021
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Nov 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Nov 27, 2021
Observation date: Sep 26, 2021
Submitted by: Sunny53
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Nov 19, 2021
Observation date: Sep 08, 2020
Submitted by: Bogfinder
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Nov 18, 2021
Observation date: Sep 11, 2010
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Nov 18, 2021
Observation date: Jul 31, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 13, 2021
Observation date: Jun 11, 2017
Submitted by: jcblithe
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 08, 2021
Observation date: Jun 17, 2017
Submitted by: trinectes
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 08, 2021
Observation date: Jun 24, 2017
Submitted by: jimriley21550
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 17, 2017
Submitted by: mollieking
Region: Calvert County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 07, 2021
Observation date: May 29, 2017
Submitted by: mercretas
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2017
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2017
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 07, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 1995
Submitted by: SusanPotomac
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
Observation date: Aug 05, 2017
Submitted by: Anna S
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
Observation date: Aug 31, 2017
Submitted by: stwigg
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
Observation date: Sep 09, 2017
Submitted by: rogerashton
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 06, 2021
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