Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

A large, vivid-orange butterfly adorned with bold black markings above and a striking row of large silver spots on the underside of its hindwing. Females lay eggs near violet plants in late summer, and newly hatched caterpillars hibernate immediately without eating — resuming their first meal only when spring violets emerge.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Argynnis
Species: Argynnis cybele