Silvery checkerspot

The silvery checkerspot is a small butterfly checkered in orange, black, and cream, easy to overlook among its many look-alikes but a common resident of damp meadows and streamsides.

It flies in one or two broods from late spring, nectaring low on a range of open flowers.

Its caterpillars feed in groups on the leaves of asters, sunflowers, and coneflowers, so a sunny bed of native composites both feeds the adults and raises the young.