Home / Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae) / Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)

Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)

The Baltimore Checkerspot is a species of very brightly colored butterflies that were once widely spread throughout its range and is now experiencing significant declines in recent years. Conservation measures have been adopted in places like Maryland, where the species has become extremely rare.

Scientific Classification

Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Euphydryas
Scientific Name: Euphydryas phaeton

Description and Identification

Caterpillar

Mature larvae have a black head, with alternating bands of black and bright yellow lines and marks all over, while the entire body is covered with spine-like protrusions arranged along the alternating bands. The newborn caterpillars move to the plant tip, consuming the leaves of the host plant in a web-like pattern. They spend the entire winter as half-grown caterpillars, hibernating under dead grass and leaves.

Pupa

The chrysalis is pure white with spots and markings in bright orange-yellow and black. The stage lasts for around two weeks before the adult emerges.

Adult Butterfly

Sexual Dimorphism: Not present

Color and Appearance: When the wings are open, the four wings show a black base with two broad, banded borders, with the inner one showing checkers in white and the outer one in orange to yellowish-orange. Also, there are orange spots on the black base. When the wings are closed, it shows a similar view, except that, the white patterns are more intense, and hence looks brighter.

Average wingspan: 1.5 to 2.5 inches

Flight pattern: Fast and erratic; looks rather dull and black while in flight

Eggs

Bright yellow in color; laid in groups of 100-700 under the leaves of the host plants

Quick Facts
Distribution	West of Nova Scotia, throughout the Great Lakes region to SE Manitoba; almost the entire southern parts of the eastern US to the north in Georgia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma
Habitat	Open and sunny wet meadows, but also in upland fields
Lifespan of adults	Believed to be about 6 to 9 months
Host plants	Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) before winter; ash (Fraxinus), viburnums, penstemon, plantains (Plantago), and honeysuckle (Lonicera) during spring
Adult diet	Nectar from flowers (especially milkweed, viburnum, and wild rose)

Did You Know?

The butterfly gets its name after the early American colonist and politician George Calvert, the first Baron of Baltimore whose crest was orange and black.
These arthropods are poisonous to birds.
As a behavioral adaptation, they advertise their bad taste spreading their brightly-colored wings while feeding on nectar.
The species is very rarely seen in gardens.
Since 1973, it is the state insect of the U.S. State of Maryland.