Stats

Lifespan

Up to 1 yr

Size

Medium

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate shrubland

Range

North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

The Variable Checkerspot is a medium-sized butterfly native to western North America, named for the striking mosaic of orange, cream, and black patches on its wings that varies considerably between individuals and populations. It lays eggs in dense clusters on host plants such as snowberry and Indian paintbrush, with caterpillars hibernating communally through winter before emerging in spring.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   chrysalis

   A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   butterfly

   A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Nymphalidae

Genus

Euphydryas

Species

Euphydryas chalcedona