About Speyeria callippe (Boisduval, 1852)
Speyeria callippe, also known as the callippe fritillary, is a large, widespread butterfly species. Adults of this species reach a wingspan of 5–6.4 cm (2.0–2.5 in). The upperside of the wings ranges in color from tawny to bright red-brown, marked with evenly spaced black zigzag stripes. The full outer edge of the wings is black-brown, divided by a row of pale crescent-shaped lunules. The underside of the forewings is red fawn, with the same patterning as the upperside, plus a series of marginal silver lunules. The underside of the hindwings is brown, with around 22 large silvered spots, plus triangular silver submarginal spots that have narrow brown edges. Final-instar larvae are greyish, with black and grey patches and black-orange spines. This species is native to North America. Its distribution ranges from Central British Columbia east to South Dakota and Manitoba, and south to southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. These butterflies typically live in sagebrush, dry woodland, forest edges, chaparral, and grassy hillsides.
