Coronis Fritillary (Speyeria coronis [Behr])
Wing span: 2 - 3 3/8 inches (5 - 8.6 cm).
Identification: Upperside tawny to orange-brown with black markings. Underside of hindwing with inwardly rounded silver spots in marginal row; other silver spots are elongated.
Life history: Males patrol open areas to find females. Females may delay egg-laying until late summer. Eggs are laid singly on litter near violets. First-stage caterpillars overwinter unfed; in the spring they feed on violet leaves.
Flight: One flight from mid-June to September.
Caterpillar hosts: Violets including Viola nuttallii, V. purpurea, V. douglasii, and V. beckwithii.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Mountain slopes, foothills, prairie valleys, chaparral, sagebrush, forest openings.
Range: Southern Washington east through the Great Basin to central South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado; south through Nevada and California to northwest Baja California Norte.
