Great Spangled Fritillary and the need for Violets

Subject: Great Spangled Fritillary
Geographic location of the bug:  Campbell, Ohio
Date: 07/12/2022
Time: 11:40 AM EDT
Dear Readers,
Since taking over the guardianship of Pearl’s garden, Daniel has been doing what he can to maintain the semblance of a tended garden while making it even more welcoming to wildlife.  That includes letting the lawn grow taller, hence not cutting the violets that are growing in many places in the lawn.  Violets are the only host plants to Fritillaries in the genus Speyeria, a genus in decline.

Violets

For the past few weeks Daniel is certain he has sighted a Fritillary on several occasions, but could not get a good look nor a photo.  Yesterday, a tattered Great Spangled Fritillary alighted on a potted Zinnia (a marvelous annual for attracting pollinating insects including butterflies) and he had his magicphone handy.

Great Spangled Fritillary

Daniel hopes that in addition to providing nectar sources to attract the adult butterflies, that the increasing numbers of violets, including white violets, will provide habitat for caterpillars as well, leading to a breeding population of Fritillaries in his yard.

White Violets

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