Bug FAQSagebrush Checkerspot
Chlosyne acastus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Caterpillars feed on rabbit-brush and desert-aster plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults can be mistaken for the northern checkerspot or Hoffmann's checkerspot.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 33 to 44 mm (1.3 to 1.7 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a Nymphalidae butterfly found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is a single flight period from May to early September in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing between May and early September in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It may be confused with the northern checkerspot and Hoffmann's checkerspot.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do sagebrush checkerspot caterpillars eat?
They feed on rabbit-brush and desert-aster plants.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult sagebrush checkerspots?
Adults fly from May through early September in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlosyne_acastus
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.