Many books separate fritillaries into Greater Fritillaries, Lesser fritillaries, Checkerspots & Crescents. And although very varied in habitat and appearance they can often be very local species inhabiting a single biotype with little or no interchange of genetic material between neighbouring groups.
Of course there are the exceptions to the rule and a few such as the Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) migrate each year to take advantage of areas that become temporarily suited in the summer months. There is little or no reverse migration in the fall as is seen in the Monarch….so perhaps emigration is a better word to use than migration.
The Variegated Fritillary is also interesting, as unlike other fritillaries it feeds on an extremely wide range of plants including Violets and Passion flowers….and bridges the gap between the Greater and Lesser Fritillaries (Often Violet feeders) and the Longwing Fritillaries (Passionflower feeders) such as the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae).
The Gulf Fritillary is grouped with the Longwings and is sometimes classified as a Heliconid and not a Nymphalid.
2.2 Greater Fritillaries
Greater Fritillaries can be quite common in the temperate areas. The caterpillars hide away during the daytime and feed at night on Violets. Most species have a single brood in a year and overwinter as tiny larvae or in an egg. Many larvae hatch out and start to hibernate before starting to eat any food at all!
They are usually quite easy to pair in captivity…but do give them a good-sized cage. Females will lay well in captivity, and it is useful to provide Violets as a stimulus but they generally lay their eggs on dead bracken or dead leaves and not directly on the foodplant.
Overwinter the young larvae outside in a netted box if you live in a similar climate to where you caught them. It is safer to transfer them into a sealed plastic box and overwinter them in the fridge. You can choose when spring has arrived.
2.3. Lesser Fritillaries
Lesser Fritillaries are like smaller versions of the larger fritillaries…but the often have more than one brood a year, especially in the warmer regions. The larvae most often feed on Violets…but some, especially the mountain or polar species choose low growing big plants like Cranberry. The adults almost always lay their eggs on the foodplant and they overwinter as a third instar larvae generally in a rolled up dead leaf. Not so easy to overwinter in the fridge as they are liable to either dry out or go mouldy, you need to check them often throughout the winter. Far better to overwinter outside in a netted cage if you live in a suitable climate. Trial and error will help you….but I can tell you that one species may be entirely happy in your fridge and another will have 100% mortality….you just have to document to know what to do!
2.4. Checkerspots
Checkerspots are usually the most local of all the Fritillaries, and I would urge you NOT to take too many adults from any colony they nearly always have only one brood a year..…and their colonies are often very small with no more than say 300-400 adults that emerge over a period of just a couple of weeks in a year. The strange thing about Checkerspots is they often appear to inhabit the same small patch of land year after year…even though there are similar seemingly suitable habitats only a few hundred yards away they completely ignore them. The butterfly lays large batches of eggs together and the caterpillars are gregarious…often living under a web of silk that they spin together over their foodplant. When disturbed they tumble to the ground and roll away for safety…later relocating their group within the web. They spin a thicker web to overwinter together in their third instar. They often choose Plantains (Plantago lanceolata) and members of the Aster family.
Checkerspots are usually very easy to pair and get to lay their egg batches in captivity…and do not require a cage of more than 1ft cube. it is this fact that make these delightful butterflies such a good choice for breeding for introduction.
The same problems occur for overwintering as mentioned above in Lesser Fritillaries.
2.5. Crescents.
Crescents are closely related to the Checkerspots, they too lay their eggs in clusters and the larvae are gregarious…but they do not make a web. They can often occur in huge numbers fluttering low down amongst the vegetation. They do not have such a powerful flight as the other Fritillaries. Many Crescents feed on members of the Aster family. Many species have more than one brood a year and some species can be continuously brooded in the warmer regions. Species found In the more Northern regions overwinter in their third instar.
Crescents are very easy to get to pair and lay in captivity, and they can be treated like the Checkerspots described above.
The same problems occur for overwintering as mentioned above in Lesser Fritillaries.
2.6. The Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
Included here because it has the common name of "Fritillary" As mention in the introduction, this is classified as a Heliconid butterfly and is part of a family with a vast number of species in South America.
This species is either an opportunist emigrator…(Little evidence of a return journey) or continuously brooded in the warmest parts of the USA. It feeds on Passionflower (Passiflora) and one of the best species to feed it is the hardiest Passionflower of them all…(Passiflora caerulea) This plant can take quite severe frosts down to minus 5C.
The Gulf Fritillary is very easy to breed, they pair and lay very well in captivity and will keep producing successive broods under lights as long as you can provide warmth and foodplant.
Nigel Venters 1st November 2000
1.2 Queens are Milkweed butterflies (Danaidae)
