• Butterflies
• Dragonflies
• Damselflies
• Tiger beetles
• Hike with Mike

• The butterflies:
• Brushfooted Butterflies
  • Snouts
  • Heliconians and Fritillaries
  • True Brushfoots
  • Admirals and Relatives
  • Leafwings
  • Emperors
  • Satyrs
  • Monarchs
• Heliconians and Fritillaries
  • Gulf Fritillary
  • Variegated Fritillary
  • Great Spangled Fritillary
  • Aphrodite Fritillary
  • Regal Fritillary
  • Atlantis Fritillary
  • Bog Fritillary
  • Silver-bordered Fritillary
  • Meadow Fritillary
  • Frigga Fritillary
  • Freija Fritillary
  • Purplish Fritillary

Aphrodite Fritillary

(Speyeria aphrodite)

The Aphrodite Fritillary is found throughout the state during much of July and August with the Great Spangled Fritillary. Both species are long-lived and occur in many of the same habitats. When they are both flying around it is difficult to determine what species are present, but because they readily find a nectar source and stop to feed it makes it much easier on the watcher to determine what species they are observing. It gets somewhat more confusing farther north where the Atlantis Fritillary sometimes makes it a trio of free-flying Fritillaries. All three species are some of our larger, more conspicuous species and in field full of nectar sources these butterflies can be quite a spectacle. In one field in Portage County, in a large patch of common Milkweed in flower, I saw over 75 Fritillaries. I tried to take some photos to document this, but I found out it is much easier to get a photo of a solitary butterfly than a group of them.

Identifying characteristics: Above, the Aphrodite Fritillary is orange with a variety of black markings. Below this species is somewhat variable in Wisconsin, but is orange with many silvery spots. In some Aphrodite Fritillaries the hindwing is very dark and has almost no discernable light submarginal band, whereas other individuals may have a distinct light submarginal band like the Atlantis Fritillary.

Similar species: In southern Wisconsin, where the Atlantis Fritillary doesn’t occur, this species can be told from the Great Spangled Fritillary by the lack of the wide light submarginal band on the hindwing. Above, the Aphrodite is usually lighter, and has a black spot near the base of the upper forewing that the Great Spangled Fritillary doesn’t have. In the north the Atlantis Fritillary has a very dark border that is lacking in the Aphrodite Fritillary, and almost always has a distinct, but narrower than the Great Spangled Fritillaries, light submarginal band.

Habitat: Open fields and woodland edges. Can be found in both wet and dry habitats.

Flight: One brood. Has been observed from mid-June until early September.

Abundance: Common throughout Wisconsin. This species is undoubtedly found in all counties.

Recent Aphrodite Fritillary Sightings

Date seen	County	Reported by
Yesterday	Iowa	Ann Thering and Dave Eide
Thursday	Vilas	Mary Anna Thornton
Wednesday	Marinette	Mike Reese
Tuesday	Burnett	S.J. Anderson
Monday	Green Lake	Mike Reese
07–12–2008	Portage	Wayne Anderson
07–12–2008	Iowa	SWBA Field Trip, 18 participants
07–09–2008	Dane	Ann Thering
07–06–2008	Dane	Joan Braune, Tod Highsmith and Mary Dykstra
07–04–2008	Iowa	Ann Thering and Dave Eide
07–03–2008	Wood	Ron Arnold, Ann Thering, Mike Reese
07–01–2008	Dane	Ann Thering

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