Great spangled fritillary

A large, showy orange butterfly of summer meadows, the great spangled fritillary is spangled beneath with bright silver spots on a rich brown ground. It is among the most conspicuous of the greater fritillaries.

Adults fly in mid to late summer, nectaring avidly on milkweeds, coneflowers, thistles, and bergamot in sunny fields and forest openings. There is a single, long-lived brood each year.

Caterpillars feed at night on violets, the only host. Newly hatched larvae overwinter without feeding and resume on violet leaves in spring, so a patch of native violets is the key to hosting them.