Description
The Regal Fritillary (Argynnis idalia) is a large, striking butterfly with deep orange forewings, black hindwings adorned with white spots, and a row of orange spots along the edge, typically found in tallgrass prairies and meadows across central and eastern North America.
Range
The Regal Fritillary is a species of special concern in Minnesota, and it restricted to sporadic intact prairie remnants south and west of a line from Winona to Grand Forks.
Similar Species
None.
Host Plants
prairie bird’s-foot violet (Viola palmata var. pedatifida) and bird’s-foot violet (V. pedata)
Flight
Overwinters in chrysalis, and can emerge as early as late June and can fly until early September