Bug FAQHydaspe Fritillary
Speyeria hydaspe · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The Hydaspe fritillary is a small orange-brown butterfly; its underwing spots are usually cream-colored, but the Vancouver Island form has silver spots. It lives in moist forests, clearings and subalpine meadows of the western United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It can be told apart from similar species by the smooth, even appearance of its postmedian spotband.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is a small fritillary with cream-colored underwing spots, though the Vancouver Island subspecies shows silver spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in moist forests, clearings and subalpine meadows.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on violets, including Viola glabella. Adults sip nectar from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation per year, flying from July to September.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from July through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs in the western parts of the United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles Speyeria zerene and Speyeria atlantis.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 11 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Hydaspe fritillary caterpillars eat?
The caterpillars feed on violets such as Viola glabella.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see Hydaspe fritillary butterflies?
Adults fly from July through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the Hydaspe fritillary live?
It inhabits moist forests, clearings and subalpine meadows in the western United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell Hydaspe fritillary apart from similar butterflies?
Look for a smooth, even postmedian spotband on the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speyeria_hydaspe
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.