Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija [Thunberg])
Wing span: 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches (3/5 - 4.1 cm).
Identification: Upperside tawny to orange-brown; arctic butterflies darker. Underside tawny with characteristic black zigzag median line; arrowhead-shaped white spots in center of wing at outer margin.
Life history: Males patrol for females in open areas during warm hours. Females lay eggs on or near the host plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves; fourth-stage caterpillars overwinter.
Flight: One brood from late May to mid-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Dwarf bilberry (Vaccinium caespitosum) and other plants in the heath family (Ericaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open bogs, taiga, tundra, edges of open black spruce bogs, pine forests.
Range: Holarctic. Much of Alaska and Canada; south through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico; east to the Great Lakes area.
Conservation: Not usually required.
