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Prairie Royalty: The Regal Fritillary Butterfly

 

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What is a Prairie?

Prairies are characterized by their variety of grasses and wildflowers. Fens, marshes, savannas and sedge meadows are other natural communities that may be embedded in prairies.

Underneath the prairie soil is a dense tangle of roots, rhizomes, bulbs, corms, and rootstocks. While the above ground parts of most prairie plants die back each year; the plants are kept alive from year to year by these underground parts. Some of the roots die and decompose each year, and this process has added large quantities of organic matter leaving the soil very fertile.

The fertile soil is the main reason as to why many prairies fell to agriculture use. In the United States, 99% of our original prairies are gone and with it, a great number of animal and plant species failing to exist without this habitat they call home.

Violets:
They're What's or Dinner

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but when it comes to the larvae of the Regal Fritillary, violets are life savers - literally. Violets are the sole source of food for all butterflies in the genus Speyeria.

Bird's foot, blue prairie, common blue, lance-leafed and arrowleaf violets are just a few varieties the Regal Fritillary need to survive.

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Somewhere fluttering in Indiana's tallgrasses is a majestic creature trying to survive. The Regal Fritillary is a beautiful butterfly found in the remaining tallgrass and mixed grass prairies in east-central United States. Unfortunately a lack of their natural habitat has made them increasingly rare. If not for a bit of land found in northwestern Indiana, the Regal Fritillary may have already been lost in our great state.

Prairie Royalty: The Regal Fritillary

The Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is one of the largest and most spectacular butterflies found in North America. Its bright orange forewings are marked with a deep orange-brown border and characterizecd by the two rows of spots along the hindwing. The difference between the sexes are found in these spots; the male has a row of orange and cream spots while the female has only cream colored spots. The female is also larger in size. The average wingspan fo the regal fritillary is between 2.5 to 4 inches from tip to tip.

The Regal Fritillary can be found in large open grasslands and prairies in east-central United States. During the late summer months, look for Regal Fritillaries in the violets. The female will lay up to 1,000 eggs, leaving them at the base of several species of violets. The eggs will hatch 3 - 4 weeks later, and will hibernate shortly afterwards. In early spring, the black larvae will feed solely on the violets they were laid on. In about three weeks, the larvae enters its brown and mottled pupa to emerge as a lovely butterfly.

Unfortunately for these amazing creatures, the life span of the Regal Fritillary is quite short. Males will live for about a month while females can live for almost two months. The live their brief lives drinking nectar from various prairie wildflowers and mating.

Although it may not have a long life, the Regal Fritillary should have the chance to thrive. Over the years, Regal Fritillaries have become increasingly rare. Loss of habitat due to agriculture, fragmentation and land development has greatly affected populations in several states including Indiana. In fact, the Regal fritillary is a state-endangered specie.

Protecting Prairies, Preserving Life

Do you remember that song "Home of the Range?" It goes something like "Oh give me home, where the buffalo roam...?" Well, regal fritillaries feel the exact same way when it comes to their habitat. Give them a home where buffaloes once roamed; give them prairies and they will come.

About ten years ago, the Regal Fritillary could only be found in a single nature preserve in Indiana. Beaver Lake Nature Preserve in Newton County is a 640 acre field home to prairie flowers and grasses. It is one of the few areas in our great state where original prairie still exists. In 1996 The Nature Conservancy in Indiana purchased more than 7,200 acres that surrounded Beaver Lake, Conrad Station Savanna and parts of Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area. This purchase was part of the Conservancy's Kankakee Sands Restoration Project, our plan to return the land back to its original prairie/wetland/black oak barrens habitat. Thanks to the smart planning and hard work done by staff and volunteers, Kankakee Sands has been restored enough to support a larger population of Regal Fritillaries and has brought hope of our populations spreading elsewhere.

For More Information

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservations Speyeria idalia/Regal Fritillary profile prepared by Mace Vaughan and Matthew Shepard

NatureServe Explorer information on the Regal Fritillary

Nearctica: The Natural History of North America - Regal Fritillary profile

Great Plains Nature Center's information on the Regal Fritillary

Wisconsin Butterflies - Regal Fritillary

 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Mark Godfrey (on purple coneflower); Photo © Patricia Armstrong (female); Photos © TNC (male & violets).