VARIEGATED Fritillary & GULF FRITILLARY
Variegated Fritillaries are gorgeous butterflies. When seen in full sunlight, they remind me of stained glass. They are larger than Meadow Fritillaries, but smaller than Great Spangled Fritillaries.
This Variegated Fritillary was photographed along the Great Miami River in Miamisburg. These butterflies are migrants to our area. Riverways are good places to look for migratory species such as this one.
Variegated Fritillaries can be distinguished from Great Spangled and Gulf Fritillaries by the lack of white spots on the undersurface of their wings. This particular individual was searching hard for nectar sources on the barren landscape of Oakes Quarry, late in autumn.
Variegated Fritillaries prefer open, sunny, grassy habitat, including meadows and prairies.
Gulf Fritillaries have large white spots on the ventral surface of their wings. This particular butterfly was nectaring on zinnias in a garden at Cox Arboretum, and also ovipositing on several large passionflower vines. Passionflower is this species' host plant. A warming climate might bring more Gulf Fritillaries to Ohio in the years to come.
This Variegated Fritillary was nectaring on cosmos flowers. Note the two light-colored ovals on the top edge of the forewings. These ovals are good field marks for this species.
Variegated Fritillaries are migrants, so their numbers can fluctuate from year to year. In a good year, I find them by the dozens, especially along the Great Miami River. In a bad year, I might only see two or three individuals all season.
This butterfly is a Gulf Fritillary. These migrants are very common in the southern U.S., but rare strays to Ohio. The female at left and below is my only sighting of this species in Ohio. I photographed her at Cox Arboretum on August 14, 2019.