Northwestern Fritillary
Speyeria hesperis (W.H. Edwards, 1864)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Quite variable. Upperside orange-brown, often darker at base, with black outer margins especially on forewing; male has black scales on veins. Underside of hindwing with basal disk or light brown orange-brown with pale submarginal band; spots silvered or unsilvered.
Wing Span: 2 - 2 3/4 inches (5 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males patrol during the day in open areas. Eggs are laid singly on leaf litter near host plant. Unfed first-stage caterpillars overwinter, emerging in spring to feed on leaves.
Flight: One flight from June-October, mainly July-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Violets.
Adult Food: Flower nectar including Gaillardia, rabbitbrush, purple mints, and shrub cinquefoil.
Habitat: Forest openings, meadows, and open hillsides.
Range: Western mountains from central western Alaska, Yukon, and Northwest Territories south to central California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually of conservation concern. Subspecies elko Austin and hanseni Emmel and Emmel are of conservation concern because of their small ranges. The former may be threatened by invasive alien weeds including smooth brome and/or cheatgrass.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may 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 1 - 24 of 488 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 13, 2022
Submitted by: kidsiavd
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 05, 2023
Observation date: Aug 16, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Apr 15, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2020
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Feb 12, 2023
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Creedo
Region: Mesa County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Feb 12, 2023
Observation date: Jun 30, 2022
Submitted by: NatureNickPhotos
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 11, 2023
Observation date: Sep 07, 2022
Submitted by: cobal2913
Region: Fremont County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Oct 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2022
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 28, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Otero County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 25, 2022
Observation date: Sep 08, 2017
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Jul 16, 2022
Submitted by: chneal
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 19, 2022
Observation date: Sep 12, 2022
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 2019
Submitted by: Margaret Mackenzie
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 2019
Submitted by: Margaret Mackenzie
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 2019
Submitted by: Margaret Mackenzie
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 20, 2021
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2022
Submitted by: Jon Kindschy
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: mashoop58
Region: Cibola County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 20, 2022
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2022
Submitted by: falco1
Region: El Dorado County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2022
Submitted by: falco1
Region: El Dorado County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
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