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.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 8164 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 17, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 19, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: Tawnia
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Aug 25, 2016
Submitted by: vogelbild
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
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 12, 2024
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 12, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 10, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: danahoover
Region: Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 06, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: danahoover
Region: Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 06, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: danahoover
Region: Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 06, 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: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: lizmcd
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2023
Submitted by: MomoButterfly
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: rtsmith
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 04, 2024
Submitted by: NNing
Region: Geauga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: courtgwalsh
Region: Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 03, 2024
Observation date: Jul 21, 2016
Submitted by: RNeilson
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 03, 2024
Observation date: Jun 30, 2024
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: MissaOwl
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 27, 2024
Submitted by: Lydiaak
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 01, 2024
Observation date: Jun 30, 2024
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: getherington
Region: Putnam County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 29, 2024
Submitted by: bystrk
Region: Orange County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 30, 2024
- ‹ previous
- 3 of 341
- next ›