Edwards' Fritillary

Speyeria edwardsii is resident to north-central United States, north to southern Alberta and Manitoba (Scott 1986). Habitats are chaparral, forest openings prairie. Host plants are herbaceous, and restricted to a couple species in genus Viola. Eggs are haphazardly laid near the host plant, singly. Individuals overwinter as unfed first instar larvae. There is one flight each year with the approximate flight time late June-Sept 15 (Scott 1986).

Uncommon to rare, with a restricted range and requiring relatively large tracts of habitat.

One flight per year, peaking in mid June to late July, slightly later in the foothills.

Restricted to the Great Plains, occuring from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south to New Mexico (Scott 1986). May be extirpated in Manitoba, with the last records from 1934 (Layberry et al. 1998).

This is one of the larger fritillaries, and one of four species that usually have a greenish underside (egleis, mormonia and callippe are the others). Edwardsii is much larger than mormonia, with a pointier forewing, and is darker brown-green below with smaller upperside black marks compared to callippe. It is slightly larger with a lighter upperside compared to egleis.

Foothills and prairie grasslands.

"No life history information is available from Alberta. The eggs are yellow-green when laid, turning tan-coloured. Laid singly on or near the host plant. Larvae hatch and overwinter, with feeding beginning the following spring. Mature larvae are spiny and dark yellow dorsally with a black dorsal line and greyish sides (Scott 1986). Edwards' Fritillary apparently needs large tracts of native grassland, as it has disappeared from Manitoba altogether, and is absent from apparently suitable grasslands of smaller size in Saskatchewan (Layberry et al. 1998)."

The larval hosts are unknown in Alberta; recorded on Viola nuttalli elsewhere (Layberry et al. 1998).

Speyeria edwardsii, the Edwards' fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae of North America. It is common from Alberta west to Manitoba and south as far as northern New Mexico.

This butterfly is mostly orange coloured with distinct dark-brown bars on the topside. The wing margins are dark with lighter circles then darker crescents. Silvery spots predominate on the yellowish underside.

Wingspan ranges from 60–86 mm (2.4–3.4 in).

Larva feeds on Viola nuttallii.