Bug FAQSilvery Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The silvery checkerspot is a small orange-yellow butterfly with dark edges and a white crescent on the hindwing margin. It lives near moist places like stream sides, as well as in meadows and forest openings across southern Canada to the Gulf states. Caterpillars feed on a variety of asters, while adults sip nectar from red clover, milkweed and dogbane; in the north it has one brood, elsewhere two, and in deep southern Texas up to three broods per year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hindwing shows a pale area with a white crescent at the edge.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers moist habitats such as stream sides. It is also found in open meadows and forest gaps.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars eat various asters, including Eurybia macrophylla, Verbesina alternifolia, Helianthus and Rudbeckia.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In the northern part of its range one generation emerges between June and July; elsewhere two generations appear from May to September. In the deep southern part of Texas three generations have been recorded.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
One brood hatches June-July in the north; two broods May-September elsewhere; three broods in deep southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from southern Canada down to Georgia, Florida and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 43 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland.
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
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlosyne_nycteis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.