Harris' Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii [Scudder])
Wing span: 1 7/16 - 2 inches (3.6 - 5.1 cm).
Identification: Upperside is orange with black markings. Underside of hindwing has a red-orange stripe at the margin and a red-orange, white, and black checkered pattern on remainder of wing.
Life history: Females lay eggs in clusters under host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves communally in a web. Partially-grown caterpillars hibernate at the base of the host plant.
Flight: One brood from June-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Flat-topped white aster (Aster umbellatus).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Moist areas such as marshes, bog edges, pastures, and meadows.
Range: Maritime Provinces west to Manitoba, south to West Virginia, southern Ohio, and northeastern Illinois.
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.
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.