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 97 - 120 of 8164 verified sightings
Observation date: May 30, 2024
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 30, 2024
Observation date: May 11, 2024
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Shannon County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 29, 2024
Observation date: May 28, 2024
Submitted by: TuTuponyrider
Region: Riley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 29, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 28, 2024
Observation date: May 24, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 25, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: dadorshorst@gma...
Region: St. Charles County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 25, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: Michann117
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 25, 2024
Observation date: May 24, 2024
Submitted by: Ccline01
Region: Ray County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 25, 2024
Observation date: May 24, 2024
Submitted by: Melmurry
Region: Van Buren County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 24, 2024
Observation date: May 23, 2024
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: May 22, 2024
Submitted by: Ladelthia
Region: Taylor County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Jun 18, 2022
Submitted by: bknupp
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2023
Submitted by: chherrmann
Region: Page County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2023
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Halifax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2023
Submitted by: larryheine@gmail.com
Region: Augusta County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: May 19, 2024
Submitted by: pauhana
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 20, 2024
Observation date: May 18, 2024
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 19, 2024
Observation date: May 11, 2024
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Shannon County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 17, 2024
Observation date: May 15, 2024
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 16, 2024
Observation date: May 11, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Knox County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 15, 2024
Observation date: Jun 15, 2021
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 18, 2016
Submitted by: n_meadows_jr
Region: United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Feb 15, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2022
Submitted by: Lisa H
Region: Ottawa County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Feb 03, 2024
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