Meadow Fritillary
Boloria bellona (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Forewing squared off below tip. Upperside orange-red with heavy black markings. Underside of hindwing patterned with orange and purple-brown; off-white basal patch and metallic silver spots lacking.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 2 inches (3.5 - 5.1 cm).
Life History: Males patrol meadows with a low flight, during warm daytime hours. Females lay eggs on twigs and plants other than the host violets. Caterpillars feed on violet leaves and hibernate when in the third to fourth stage of development.
Flight: Two to three broods from late April to mid-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Violets including northern white violet (Viola pallens) and woolly blue violet (V. sororia).
Adult Food: Favorite nectar sources are composites, including black-eyed susans, dandelions, and ox-eyed daisy. Plants from other families, such as verbena and dogbane, are visited less often.
Habitat: Usually wet places marshes, wet aspen groves.
Range: Eastern British Columbia east through southern Canada and northern United States to Newfoundland; south to northcentral Oregon, central Colorado, northeast Tennessee, and northwest North Carolina. Due to its adaptability to disturbed habitats, the butterfly is expanding its range southward from the southeastern states.
Conservation: Not usually of conservation 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.
Comments: NULL
Alternate Scientific Names:
Clossiana bellona
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 99 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Dutchess County, New York, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jul 27, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2023
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2023
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 07, 2023
Observation date: Sep 09, 2022
Submitted by: Jim Lowe
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 12, 2022
Observation date: Jun 28, 2022
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 12, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2020
Submitted by: kristasessions
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 05, 2021
Observation date: Aug 27, 2008
Submitted by: lisagorn
Region: Otsego County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Dec 02, 2020
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 19, 2020
Observation date: Aug 22, 2020
Submitted by: Cindy Kindle
Region: Hamilton County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 23, 2020
Observation date: Aug 14, 2020
Submitted by: joanfiller
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
Observation date: Aug 10, 2020
Submitted by: hank_j
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 15, 2020
Observation date: Jul 04, 2020
Submitted by: kristasessions
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2018
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 31, 2020
Observation date: Jul 15, 2005
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 31, 2020
Observation date: Sep 11, 2019
Submitted by: ellenjones6
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 12, 2019
Observation date: Sep 09, 2019
Submitted by: ellenjones6
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 11, 2019
Observation date: Sep 04, 2019
Submitted by: ellenjones6
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 04, 2019
Observation date: Jul 21, 2019
Submitted by: ellenjones6
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
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