Description
The Harris’s Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii) is a medium-sized butterfly with orange wings intricately patterned with black lines and spots, and pale cream-colored markings on the hindwing undersides, commonly found in wet meadows, marshes, and near woodland edges across northeastern North America.
Range
Northeast of a line from Minneapolis to Crookston
Similar Species
Gorgone and Silvery Checkerspots are similar but neither have extensive orange on the hindwing below, and Harris’s has much more open orange above.
Host Plants
flat-topped white aster (Doellingeria umbellata)
Flight
Overwinters in chrysalis, and can emerge as early as March and can fly until October (depending on the weather)