There is something in the appearance of the upper surface of this
butterfly that suggests the other Fritillaries on the one hand and the
Emperors on the other. The coloring and marking is a bit like the
former and the shape of the wings like the latter. The general color
is a golden brown with darker markings arranged in bands and eye-spots
in a rather complicated pattern. The under surface, so far as it is
exposed when the butterfly is at rest, is a beautiful marbled
combination of gray and brown which is probably distinctly
obliterative in the haunts of these insects. The front wings have the
outer margin concave in the middle, giving a special prominence to the
shape of each front outer angle.
This butterfly is a southern rather than a northern species, but it is
found occasionally from Montana to Massachusetts and southward to
Arizona, Mexico, and Florida. Even in northern Indiana it is very
seldom found and is considered rare in the southern part of that
state. Around Buffalo, New York, it is also rare and is not common in
the vicinity of New York City. In the more Southern states, however,
it is abundant and extends well through the continent of South
America.
There is considerable evidence to indicate that this butterfly
hibernates as an adult. In the more southern regions it probably also
hibernates in other stages, especially the chrysalis and the larva. In
regions where it is double-brooded, as it appears to be in the
latitude of New York City, the seasonal history seems to run something
like this: the partly grown caterpillars which have passed the winter
in shelter at the surface of the soil feed upon the leaves of violets
and certain other plants. They change to chrysalids, probably in May,
and emerge as butterflies in June. These butterflies lay eggs for a
summer brood of caterpillars which may feed upon the leaves of
violets, May apples, portulaca, and stonecrop. They grow into
cylindrical worms of a general reddish yellow color, marked by
longitudinal stripes of brown upon the sides and a row of whitish dots
upon the back. They become matured in time to disclose the butterflies
of the second brood in August and September. Presumably these
butterflies lay eggs that develop into caterpillars which hibernate
when partially grown.
Farther south there are probably three broods a year and hibernation
may take place in various stages. There is good opportunity for
careful work in determining the life-history of the species in
different latitudes. The butterfly is found in much the same
situations as the other Fritillaries, flying over meadows and along
the borders of woods.
=The Diana Fritillary=
_Argynnis diana_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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