About a fortnight later the chrysalis breaks open and the fully
developed butterfly comes forth. It rests quietly for a time while its
wings expand and the tissues harden and then sallies forth for its
long period of flight; for this insect is single-brooded in the
Northern states at least and the butterflies that thus mature late in
June or early in July are likely to remain alive until early in
September. So they have a comparatively long life for a butterfly that
does not hibernate as an adult.
=The Silver-spot Fritillary=
_Argynnis aphrodite_
Our brown Fritillaries are seldom found without several species
mingling together. This is not strange, for they have similar habits
throughout their entire lives. So when you see a bevy of butterflies
collected around the midsummer blossoms of the milkweed, you are
pretty sure to find that the Great Spangled Fritillary is associated
with the Silver-spot and probably one or two other related forms. The
Silver-spot is generally decidedly smaller than the one first named
and the surest way to be certain of it is to look on the under side of
the hind wing and see whether there is a broad band of buff between
the two outer rows of silver spots. If this band has disappeared or is
nearly all taken up by the brown ground-color of the wing, you may be
pretty sure we have the Silver-spot Fritillary.
When one has firmly fixed in mind the life cycle of one of these
butterflies, one has a model after which to fashion the rest, for our
several species are remarkably alike in this respect.
The Silver-spots are on the wing for several weeks in summer. During
the latter part of this time the females lay eggs upon violet leaves.
These eggs shortly hatch into caterpillars that go directly into
hibernation, taking no food before winter sets in. The following
spring they feed upon violet leaves and mature in time to change to
chrysalids and emerge as butterflies in early summer. There is but one
brood a year and the species is widely distributed over southern
Canada and the Northern states. It extends south to Virginia and
Pennsylvania and west to Nebraska, Montana, and Washington.
=The Mountain Silver-spot=
_Argynnis atlantis_
If one were able to take a Silver-spot Fritillary and reduce its size
about one third he would have a wonderfully good imitation of the
present species. Except for the size, about the only difference in the
markings is found in the blackish border along the margins of the
Mountain Silver-spot which is not present in the other species. The
buff sub-marginal border line on the under surface of the wings
between the rows of silver spots is also wider in the mountain
species.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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