Bug FAQHoffmann's Checkerspot
Chlosyne hoffmanni · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Hoffmann's checkerspot is a western North American butterfly with a wingspan of about 30 to 36 mm. Its caterpillars feed on Aster plants, while adults sip nectar from flowers, and it flies once in early summer (June-July) in Canada. It can be mistaken for the northern checkerspot or sagebrush checkerspot.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults often look like the northern checkerspot (C. palla) or the sagebrush checkerspot (C. acastus).
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 30 to 36 mm (about 1.2 to 1.4 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It belongs to the Nymphalidae family and lives in western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on species of Aster. Adult butterflies drink nectar from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In Canada there is a single flight period that occurs between June and early July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species is on the wing once each year in early summer (June-July) in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It may be confused with the northern checkerspot and the sagebrush checkerspot.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, Florida.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see Hoffmann's checkerspot?
Adults fly once a year in early summer, typically from June to early July in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this butterfly apart from similar species?
It is often mistaken for the northern checkerspot or sagebrush checkerspot, so careful identification is needed.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlosyne_hoffmanni
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.