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 25 - 48 of 8164 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 12, 2024
Submitted by: hrr705
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 11, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2024
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: Keith Myrom
Region: Rice County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 13, 2024
Observation date: Aug 08, 2024
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 10, 2024
Observation date: Aug 07, 2024
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Jefferson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 09, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 06, 2024
Observation date: Jul 31, 2024
Submitted by: J Tinsman
Region: Preston County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: Jduval99
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 03, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: barthsm
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Kootenai County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jul 31, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2024
Submitted by: MinPinLord
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 28, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 26, 2024
Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: chirpingbirds
Region: Morgan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2024
Submitted by: Elisabeth_Cassinari
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: Bob_1948
Region: Delaware County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: dnight30
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2024
Submitted by: Dollarman
Region: Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 20, 2024
Observation date: Jun 05, 2024
Submitted by: gunhilda
Region: Payne County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 20, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 19, 2024
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