(Argynnis aphrodite)
Fritillaries
Appearance: Geographically variable. Upperside reddish orange-brown; the forewing veins are not lined with black scales. Eyes yellow-green. Underside of hindwing, the red-brown or brown in the disk often extends beyond postmedian spots into the submargin. Hindwing spots are always silvered.
Wingspan: Large; 2 1/2 to 3 1/4 inches.
Habitat: Moist prairies, high mountain meadows, brushlands, dry fields, open woodlands, bogs; plains, foothills, montane.
Flight Times: May to mid-September; one brood.
Larval Foodplant: Various violet species.
Did You Know…
The yellow-green eyes separate this species from all other similar species except for the Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele). 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.
