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Diana Fritillary
The female Diana Fritillary (Speyeria diana) is black with blue on the outer part of the hingwing. The male is also black, but with orange at the edges of the wings. It can be found in fields, wooded areas and openings in rich forested mountain areas.
The range is typically in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri, and the mountains of central Virginia, West Virgiania, northern Georgia and Alabama.
Dianas scatter their eggs around the base of the host plant. Upon hatching, larvae burrow into the ground over winter to emerge in spring.
The Diana Fritillary is the state butterfly of Arkansas.
Wing spread: 3 7/16" - 4 7/16"
Host Plants: Violets
Adult food sources: Common and swamp milkweed, butterfly bush, clover, dung
Explore more about the Fritillary Family of Butterflies.
Female Diana Fritillary Butterfly ... dorsal view |
Male Diana Fritillary Butterfly - ventral view  |
Photo by and courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |