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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 169 - 192 of 540 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 05, 2018
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Garfield County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 09, 2019
Observation date: Jul 05, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Sep 04, 2018
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Aug 23, 2018
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Teller County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 27, 2018
Observation date: Jul 03, 2018
Submitted by: Bob Patton
Region: Cibola County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 15, 2018
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: Mapwing
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 11, 2018
Observation date: Aug 10, 2018
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Flathead County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Oct 03, 2018
Observation date: Aug 10, 2018
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Flathead County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Oct 03, 2018
Observation date: Jul 11, 2018
Submitted by: taogirl
Region: Mesa County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 13, 2018
Observation date: Jul 14, 2018
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Moffat County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 13, 2018
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: sfbaywildlife
Region: El Dorado County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 11, 2018
Observation date: Jul 12, 2018
Submitted by: Jon Kindschy
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 10, 2018
Observation date: Jul 20, 2018
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 07, 2018
Observation date: Jul 13, 2018
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 02, 2018
Observation date: Jul 11, 2018
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 02, 2018
Observation date: Jul 12, 2018
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 17, 2018
Observation date: Jun 29, 2018
Submitted by: JulieLuetzelschwab
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 12, 2018
Observation date: Jun 29, 2018
Submitted by: JulieLuetzelschwab
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 12, 2018
Observation date: Jul 05, 2017
Submitted by: Bill Thompson 2524
Region: Lincoln County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jul 01, 2018
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: Tim Shortell
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jan 03, 2018
Observation date: Aug 18, 2017
Submitted by: DavidLRoper
Region: Mesa County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 29, 2017
Observation date: Aug 17, 2017
Submitted by: rebeccafm
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 26, 2017
Observation date: Jun 15, 2017
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Weston County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 11, 2017
Observation date: Jul 21, 2017
Submitted by: Lori Zebiere
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Dec 04, 2017
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