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 1 - 24 of 8271 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 01, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Nov 12, 2025
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: mariposero
Region: Humboldt County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2008
Submitted by: hank4044
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 14, 2011
Submitted by: hank4044
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 14, 2011
Submitted by: hank4044
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Roane County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 30, 2025
Submitted by: FunnyValentine
Region: Sumner County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 10, 2007
Submitted by: hank4044
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 17, 2025
Observation date: Sep 13, 2025
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 23, 2025
Observation date: Sep 08, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 19, 2025
Observation date: Sep 15, 2025
Submitted by: MerylBloomer
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2025
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2025
Observation date: Sep 07, 2025
Submitted by: DUmhoefer
Region: Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 13, 2025
Observation date: Sep 10, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 13, 2025
Observation date: Sep 13, 2025
Submitted by: ValGreco
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 13, 2025
Observation date: Sep 10, 2025
Submitted by: MerylBloomer
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 01, 2025
Submitted by: melodiebahou
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Sep 03, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Sep 03, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Sep 03, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Sep 03, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Sep 01, 2025
Submitted by: kittybev
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: Jon Kindschy
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 31, 2025
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