Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies... The Fritillaries
Fritillary Butterflies
Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele
The Great Spangled Fritillary is the largest of the Frittilaries found in Crex Meadows.
The size of the Great Spangled Fritillary is comparible to a Monarch or a White Admiral and is one of the larger butterflies on Crex Meadows.
This Fritillary begins to show up on Crex Meadows near the last week of June.
The Great Spangled Fritillary is one of the longer lived Fritillaries found on Crex Meadows.
Picture on right taken June 26, 2009
Identification of the Great Spangled Fritillary is complicated by the presence of both the Atlantis and Aphrodite Fritillaries on Crex Meadows.
The most consistant marker for identification of the Great Spangled Fritillary is viewing the hindwing from the underside.
The margin between the outermost spots and the second row of white spots has a lighter color band which is consistantly wider in the Great Spangled Fritillary when compared to the Atlantis (narrowed) or Aphrodite (thin or not present).
Another identification piece to look for is the black margin on the upper wing viewed from above. This is most consistant for separating the Great Spangled from the Atlantis Fritillary. The Great Spangled Fritillary does not have a black border on its upper and lower wings from a top view.
Identification between the Great Spangled and Aphrodite Fritillary when viewed from above is more difficult. The Great Spangled Fritillary is darker (light brown) near the body on both forewing and hindwing. The Aphrodite Fritillary can be somewhat darker along the body, but this not consistant between individuals.
The Great Spangled and Aphrodite Fritillary is best separated by underwing views of the hindwing. The Great Spangled Fritillary seldom has a white streak wrapping along the bottom border of the hindwing underside view. This white streak is not always visible when viewing the butterflies in the field due to viewing angle.
The picture on the right is a Great Spangled Fritillary testing my reactions as I waited by the wolf scat it was perched on when I found it. While a bit blurry, I liked the shot and thought it showed flight action and coloring well enough to display.
Picture above and to the left taken June 26, 2009 and are of the same individual.
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | (Arthropods) |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | (Hexapods) |
| Class | Insecta | (Insects) |
| Subclass | Pterygota | (Winged Insects) |
| Order | Lepidoptera | (Butterflies and Moths) |
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea | (Butterflies) |
| Family | Nymphalidae | (Brushfooted Butterflies) |
| Subfamily | Heliconiinae | (Heliconians and Fritillaries) |
| Genus | Speyeria | (Greater Fritillaries) |
| Species | cybele | (Great Spangled Fritillary) |
Picture taken June 28, 2007
Wing span: 2 1/2 - 4 inches (6.3 - 10.1 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Various violet species
Habitat: Open, moist places including fields, valleys, pastures, right-of-ways, meadows, open woodland, prairies.