Aphrodite Fritillary
Speyeria aphrodite (Fabricius, 1787)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside reddish orange-brown; male forewing with black spot below cell and with no black scales on veins. Underside of hindwing has pale submarginal band narrow or missing.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 inches (6.3 - 8.3 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for females during warm hours. Females walk about on the ground to lay single eggs near violets. First-stage caterpillars do not feed, but overwinter until spring, when they eat young leaves of violets.
Flight: One brood from mid-June to mid-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various violet species including northern downy violet (Viola fimbriatula) and lance-leaved violet (V. lanceolata).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of milkweed and viper's bugloss, among others.
Habitat: Moist prairies, high mountain meadows, openings in barrens, brushland, dry fields, open oak woods, bogs.
Range: Canada south of the taiga from Nova Scotia west through the northern Midwest and Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains, then south in the mountains to east-central Arizona and northern New Mexico; south in the Appalachians to northern Georgia.
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 2265 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: J Tinsman
Region: Preston County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: MomoButterfly
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 01, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: MomoButterfly
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 01, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Pennington County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jul 31, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 24, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: Gwiggins
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 30, 2024
Submitted by: Gwiggins
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Roberts County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 24, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 10, 2005
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Jackson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Mar 02, 2024
Observation date: Sep 17, 2023
Submitted by: PONYRCR
Region: Pennington County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Nov 24, 2023
Observation date: Aug 04, 2023
Submitted by: rbuist
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Sep 07, 2023
Observation date: Aug 24, 2023
Submitted by: Allison Barta
Region: Cass County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 28, 2023
Observation date: Aug 06, 2023
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 27, 2023
Observation date: Jul 25, 2023
Submitted by: Thom Garrett
Region: Missoula County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
Observation date: Aug 02, 2023
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
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