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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Maine

Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
JPG -- species photo

Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene [Denis & Schiffermüller])

Wing span: 1 3/8 - 2 1/8 inches (3.5 - 5.4 cm).

Identification: Upperside orange with black markings. Underside of hindwing with rows of metallic silver spots; postmedian spots small and black.

Life history: Males patrol wet areas for females. Eggs are laid singly near host plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves; third-stage caterpillars hibernate.

Flight: One flight from June-July in the north, two to three flights from May-September in the east.

Caterpillar hosts: Violets including Viola glabella and V. nephrophylla.

Adult food: Favorite nectar sources are composite flowers, including goldenrod and black-eyed susans.

Habitat: Wet meadows, bogs, marshes.

Range: Holarctic. Central Alaska southeast through Canada south of the taiga; northern United States from central Washington south along Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico; east to Illinois, Virginia, and Maryland.

Conservation: Not usually of concern, but isolated populations in plains and east of the Cascades should be conserved.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: Protect habitat of selected populations.

References:

Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns 
     Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.

Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson 
     field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.

Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, 
     Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.

Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., 
     Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:

Brower, A.E.  1974.  A List of the Lepidoptera of Maine - Part 1: The
     Macrolepidoptera.  Life Sciences and Agricultural Station, Univ. of Maine 
     at Orono.  Technical Bulletin No. 66.  136 pp.

Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 
     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp.
     
Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format.
     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.      
Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
distribution map
map legend

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