Checkerspot
Euphydryas phaeton
Size:
Wingspan is
1 3/4 - 2 3/4 inches.
Similar Species:
None.
Habitat:
Wetlands, marshes and bogs where the host plant is present.
Range/Abundance:
Rare in the region.
Reports in western NC and SC are years apart. In eastern WV and western
VA it is uncommon to rare. This is a northern species.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from early June until late July in a single brood.
Larval Host Plants:
Turtlehead Clelone glabra and English Plantain Plantago lanceolata
Comments:
This is a strikingly beautiful butterfly. Its orange legs and face are
well worth getting a close up look at. Males are much smaller than females.
The name originated from the orange and black colors which the first Lord Baltimore George Calvert used in his heraldic shield.
Unless you conduct a concentrated effort to find this rare species at the right time of year you likely wouldn't find it.
These photos were taken in Page Co., VA on June 16, 2001.
