Great Spangled Fritillary

The Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It reaches 2 1/8 to 3" in wingspan. It is characterized by its orange color above with five black dashes near fore wing base and several iregualer black dashes at the base of the hind wing. In addition, two rows of black crescents run along the edges of the wings. Below, the fore wing is yellowish-orange with black marks similar to the upperside, with a few silver spots on the tip of the wing. The hind wing is reddish-brown with silver spots on the base and middle of the wing. A broad yellow band and silver triangles are the most notable qualities on the wing, next to the brown margin. Females tend to be darker than males and individuals from the western reaches of this species range tend to be brighter orange.Similar species include the Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite), the Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis) and the Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis).It is distinguished from the Aphrodite and Atlantis Fritillaries by a wide light submarginal band on the hindwing and instead of black spots, black dashes form on the margins of the fore wing.