Callippe Fritillary
(Argynnis callippe)
Fritillaries
Appearance: Above, varies from light tan to bright orange with black, evenly-spaced markings. Below, disk olive or brown with a buff submarginal band on the hindwing; spots usually silvered. Hindwing marginal spots often more triangular with narrow brown edging.
Wingspan: Medium; 2 to 2 1/2 inches.
Habitat: Grasslands, woodlands, ravines and ridges; foothills.
Flight Times: May to August; one brood.
Larval Foodplant: Violets.
Did You Know…
Males perch and patrol for females, often by flying to hilltops (hilltopping). Single eggs are laid in litter near the host plant violets and first-stage caterpillars hibernate until spring when they feed on early emerging violet leaves.
