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 649 - 672 of 8314 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: sam_hartzler
Region: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 03, 2021
Submitted by: Gretchen12
Region: Livingston County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Crawford County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2021
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: Justme
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 02, 2021
Submitted by: kcdemille
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2021
Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2021
Observation date: Jul 02, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 03, 2021
Observation date: Jun 30, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 01, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2021
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Jul 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 30, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2021
Submitted by: Jill Archer
Region: Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 30, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2021
Submitted by: baedwards
Region: Rabun County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 28, 2021
Submitted by: Beccaseaman
Region: Wexford County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 27, 2021
Submitted by: gmikew
Region: Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 22, 2018
Submitted by: naterahe
Region: Marion County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 23, 2021
Submitted by: naterahe
Region: Marion County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 25, 2021
Submitted by: Tking
Region: Warren County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Jun 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 24, 2021
Submitted by: rocksnstars
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 26, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2021
Submitted by: Stujo4
Region: Osage County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 26, 2021
Observation date: Jun 19, 2021
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 19, 2021
Submitted by: kristasessions
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 11, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
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