Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Mormon Fritillary
Speyeria mormonia (Boisduval, 1869)


Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Small, with large rounded antennal clubs. Upperside tawny to orange-brown; male with no black scales on veins. Underside of hindwing orange-brown; base sometimes slightly darker or greenish. Spots are usually silvered.
Wing Span: 1 1/2 - 2 3/8 inches (3.8 - 6.1 cm).
Life History: Males patrol near the ground in open areas for females. Eggs are laid singly on leaf litter near host plants. Caterpillars hatch but do not feed, hibernating until spring when they eat the host leaves.
Flight: One flight from June-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Violets including Viola adunca, V. nuttallii, V. nephrophylla, and V. palustris.
Adult Food: Nectar from a variety of flowers including goldenrod.
Habitat: Mountain meadows and fell-fields, moist prairie valleys, subarctic forest openings.
Range: Western mountains from southern Alaska south and east to Manitoba and the Dakotas; south to central California, eastern Nevada, southeastern Arizona, and northern New Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually of concern.
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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