Zerene Fritillary
Speyeria zerene (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Upper surface of both wings tawny to red-brown with dark markings. Underside of hindwing has silvered or unsilvered marginal spots more triangular than those of Speyeria coronis.
Wing Span: 2 1/8 - 2 3/4 inches (5.4 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males patrol all day seeking females. Females may delay egg-laying until late summer. Eggs are laid on leaf litter near violets; unfed first-stage caterpillars overwinter on a silken mat. In the spring, caterpillars feed on leaves of violets.
Flight: One brood from mid-June to early September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Violets including Viola adunca, V. lobata, V. cuneata, V. nuttallii, and V. purpurea.
Adult Food:
Habitat: accelerated by increased recreational use and development of the coast. Speyeria zerene hippolyta is listed as T1 by The Nature Conservancy: Critically imperiled because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences, or very few remaining individuals), or because of some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable to extinction. (Critically endangered throughout its range). The Myrtle's silverspot (subspecies myrtleae) and Behren's silverspot (subspecies behrensii) are listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Range: Coastal British Columbia south and east to Montana, south to central California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Conservation: The Oregon silverspot (subspecies hippolyta) is historically known from 17 locations along the Pacific Coast from southern Washington to central Oregon, but is now found in only 4 sites in Oregon.
NCGR:
Management Needs: Establish Critical Habitat areas where encroaching development and plants can be managed to preserve meadows where the caterpillar host plant (Viola adunca) grows.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 658 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 09, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Dec 08, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Dec 08, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Dec 08, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Dec 08, 2024
Observation date: Jun 13, 2012
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Sierra County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 1983
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Butte County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 12, 2024
Observation date: Sep 07, 2024
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Sep 07, 2024
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2024
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Clallam County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 02, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 24, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Summit County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 16, 2024
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Clallam County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Rich County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 13, 2024
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 30, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2023
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 17, 2021
Submitted by: neilpa
Region: Kittitas County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jan 21, 2024
Observation date: Aug 28, 2023
Submitted by: HimmelBerries
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: alchem30
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
Observation date: Aug 14, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Aug 15, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Aug 12, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2023
Observation date: Jun 21, 2023
Submitted by: gasigr
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 02, 2023
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Lassen County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 15, 2023
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