Fulvia Checkerspot (Thessalia fulvia [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 15/16 inches (3.2 - 5 cm).
Identification: Variable. Male upperside is dark orange to blackish with wide dark veins and light bands; female is lighter orange. Underside of hindwing is cream with black veins; black submarginal and postmedian bands contain white spots.
Life history: Males perch and sometimes patrol during the day on hilltops to find females. Eggs are laid in groups on the underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves and flowers; young ones live together in a loose web. Third-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Three broods from April-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Paintbrush (Castilleja integra and C. lanata) in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Prairie and desert hills, rocky ridgetops.
Range: Kansas, Colorado, southern Utah, and Arizona south to central Mexico.
