Baltimore Checkerspot
Euphydryas phaeton

f4 @ 1/8000s, ISO:1600, Nikon D3S w 105mm macro


"Baltimore Checkerspot," www.massaudubon.org. Known to feed on Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), White Ash (Fraxinus americana), Arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), Common Plantain (P. major), Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliata) and False Foxglove (Gerardia, sp.) in Massachusetts, and has been recorded elsewhere on Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus). English Plantain was first recorded as an oviposition plant for Baltimore Checkerspots in 1979 (Stamp, 1979). Since then, in parts of its range, the Baltimore Checkerspot has colonized fields of English Plantain to an astonishing degree. In Massachusetts, colonies of 1000+ individuals were found (1989 1990) at Dartmouth, South Dartmouth, and Swansea (Bristol Co.), Dennis (Barnstable Co.), and West Bridgewater (Plymouth Co.), all in direct association with English Plantain.
Francis A. Crane Wildlife management Area, East Falmouth, Massachusetts
 
06/07/2021