Theona Checkerspot (Thessalia theona [Ménétriés])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.4 cm).
Identification: Upperside with dark checkered pattern. Black median stripe separates inner yellow-orange band and outer orange band. Underside of hindwing has alternating bands of orange and cream spots, all outlined in black.
Life history: Males patrol and sometimes perch to find females. Eggs are laid in groups on the host plant; caterpillars feed on the leaves. Third- or fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Several flights from April-October in the Southwest, throughout the year in the tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: Ceniza blanca (Leucophyllum texanum and L. frutescens) in Texas, paintbrush (Castilleja species) in Arizona.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Desert foothills and canyons, subtropical scrub, limestone ridges, open oak or pinyon woodlands.
Range: Colombia north through Central America and Mexico to east-central Texas, southern New Mexico, and central Arizona.
