Gorgone Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone [Hübner])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside is orange with black markings; hindwing with submarginal row of solid black spots. Underside of hindwing has a zigzag pattern of brown and white bands and a median band of white chevrons.
Life history: Males perch or patrol to find females. Females lay eggs in clusters on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars eat leaves; young caterpillars feed in groups. Third-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: One brood in the north from July-August, two broods in the central part of the range from May-September, three broods in the south from April-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Several plants in the Asteraceae including sunflower (Helianthus) and crosswort (Lysimachia) species.
Adult food: Nectar, especially from yellow flowers.
Habitat: Open areas including ridges, prairies, streamsides, open hardwood forests, old fields, forest edges.
Range: Alberta east to southwest Manitoba and southern Ontario; south through the Great Plains to central New Mexico, central Texas, Louisiana, and central Georgia. Isolated populations in the Appalachians and the east slope of the Rocky Mountains.
Conservation: Not usually required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
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:
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. Privately published, Denver, Colo. Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.