Bug FAQMarsh Fritillary
Euphydryas aurinia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Marsh Fritillary Butterfly
They live in a range of grassland and marshy habitats across the Palearctic, from Ireland to eastern Siberia and into north-west China and Mongolia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
These small butterflies show a chequered mix of brown, orange and yellow, though the exact pattern and colour can differ among many forms and subspecies.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males have a wingspan of about 30 to 42 mm, while females are larger, typically 40 to 50 mm across.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Moderate farming can create the open, sparsely vegetated conditions that benefit larvae, and monitoring looks at the frequency of larval webs and flowering plants as success indicators.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found on calcareous grasslands, in woodland clearings, damp marshy areas and heathy grasslands dominated by tussock-forming grasses; in Finland they also favour semi-permanent grasslands and temporary forest clear-cuts.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae depend on the plant Succisa pratensis for both feeding and hibernation, while adults feed opportunistically on nectar from various flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Globally the species is of least concern but has declined rapidly and is regionally vulnerable or endangered; in the British Isles it is usually seen in damp, heathy grasslands called rhos pastures.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How big are marsh fritillary butterflies?
Males have a wingspan of about 30 to 42 mm, while females are larger, typically 40 to 50 mm across.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the marsh fritillary live?
It inhabits calcareous grasslands, woodland clearings, damp marshy spots and heathy grasslands, and in Finland it also uses semi-permanent grasslands and forest clear-cuts.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed exclusively on Succisa pratensis, using the plant also for hibernation; adults sip nectar from a variety of flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_fritillary
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.