BRUSHFOOTS: Fritillaries and Angelwings

AMERICAN SNOUT-  widespread North America and in our area, uncommon late winter to late autumn  Mainly forest edges, trails,  and brushy areas.    p.  100  plate 36  

Snouts are a butterfly that may land on you!

GULF FRITILLARY- summer immigrant- some years becoming common late summer into mid-fall.  Frequents gardens.  There is a significant SC coastal migration south in early fall.      p.100  plate 26

VARIEGATED FRITILLARY-   Common early spring until late fall.  Occurs in fields and gardens  p.  102  plate 26

DIANA FRITILLARY-  rare to uncommon, single brood.  Found mostly in mountain cove forests, rarely piedmont.  Seen at Jones Gap SP near visitor center and South Mountains Wildlife area, NC, Old CC Road    Have not yet seen female   p. 103  plate 27    male below-

GREAT-SPANGLED FRITILLARY-  fairly common late spring through early autumn.  Upstate SC is at the southern-most part of its range.   p.103  plate 28

APHRODITE FRITILLARY-  Similar to Great Spangled with Upstate SC historical records. Now found in NC mountains in summer  p.  104  plate 28                                                         This one found at 5000' ASL on Blue Ridge Parkway overlook, west of Asheville-

SILVERY CHECKERSPOT-  Uncommon, medium size butterfly. larger than more common Pearl Crescent.  Seen occasionally near streams and wet areas along woodland trails and forest margins, late spring and summer.  p. 110  plate 30

PEARL CRESCENT-  Very common, small Crescent.  Common to abundant early spring to late fall.  Usually near and on ground   p. 113  plate 32

BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT-  rare wetland and hypothetical mountains, one brood June. This one, in wetland near Inman, SC.  First SC record in decades     p. 116  plate 30

QUESTION MARK-  Overwinters and occasionally seen on warm winter days.  Fairly common late winter to late autumn, but uncommon hot summer days.  p. 117  plate 33 Two broods-  the first spring/summer brood has dark hind wing.  The second, summer/fall brood, which over winters, has an orange hind wing.  Note the top forewing rectangular shaped bar marking that doesn't occur on the similar, smaller Eastern Comma species. Note also the ventral "question mark".

EASTERN COMMA-  Smaller and usually less common than Question Mark, woodland margin habitat and behavior similar.  In addition to missing that rectangulas bar marking, the wings are more jagged than the larger question Mark.  Also uncommon late winter to late autumn, but rarer summer when it estivates. Two broods with same color variation as Question Mark, note the comma (without the dot)on the underwing of this species.   p. 117  plate 33

MORNING CLOAK-  Another over-wintering species.  Fairly large, possible all year long, more commo early spring , but rarer summer when it estivates p. 121

AMERICAN LADY-  Medium size.  One of our widespread and most common butterflies- early spring to December.  Frequents gardens  p. 122  plate 36

PAINTED LADY- irregular summer into autumn.  Painted Ladies arrive from Texas and Mexico in large numbers some years and are absent other years.     p. 122  plate 36             Note the 4 ventral eye spots compared to the two of the American Lady- 

RED ADMIRAL-  Irregular and strongly migratory species from south and west. Medium sized, rare to fairly common, spring through fall. More common some years than others. Widespread, usually near woodlands. Usually perches on low vegetation or ground. Seldom in gardens.   p. 123  plate