• 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

Purplish Fritillary

(Boloria montinus)

The Purplish Fritillary was discovered in Wisconsin in the early 1990’s. In the American Butterflies Fall 1998 issue, Jeff Nekola lists areas that would be good spots to see these in Douglas County. I checked out these spots and I found them easily, and in pretty good numbers nectaring on Joe-Pye-Weed, Boneset, and Flat-topped Aster. There are only five sites, all in a small area of Douglas County, where these butterflies can be found in Wisconsin. There are scattered colonies in northeastern Minnesota, but none as yet have been found in Michigan. The name of this butterfly is still very much in dispute. The common name and the scientific names have both changed within the last ten years and it is somewhat confusing when looking at older books. The Wisconsin DNR Online Field Guide to rare Lepidoptera lists it as the Arctic Fritillary (Bolaria chariclea) . Regardless of what one calls it, it is a rare butterfly in Wisconsin and is listed as a species of special concern.

Identifying characteristics: Above the Purplish Fritillary is very similar to the other lesser Fritillaries, with an orange base and a variety of black markings. On the Purplish Fritillary the wing margins have a very distinct white markings, but in general are fairly dark. There is a submarginal row of black spots that are rounder in the forewing than in the hindwing. Below the hindwing has a row of thin white spots in the margin and the hindwing does have a somewhat purplish sheen when fresh.

Similar species: All the lesser fritillaries (Bolaria sp.) are somewhat similar above. Only the Meadow Fritillary and the Silver-bordered Fritillary are flying when the Purplish Fritillary is fling in August so that narrows it down considerably. The white markings on the margins of the wings above narrows it down to only the Silver-bordered, but the Silver-bordered has much smaller dark spots in the wings above. Below, the row of thin white spots on the hindwing margin of the Purplish Fritillary are distinctive and are not found in any of the lesser fritillaries.

Habitat: Bogs, but come out to the bog edges to nectar on a variety of plants.

Flight: One brood. They may be found from the last week in July through the third week in August. These photos were taken August 2–3, 2005, but the butterflies had been out for nearly a week. There were still many butterflies nectaring a week later.

Abundance: In Wisconsin these butterflies only occur in a small area in Douglas County. Although they may seem abundant when you find them, the ones that you are might see represent a large portion of the population of this butterfly in Wisconsin.

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