Bug FAQVariable Checkerspot
Euphydryas chalcedona · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The variable checkerspot is a medium-sized butterfly with brown-black wings marked with yellow, red and white spots on top and yellow-orange bands underneath. It lives in many western North American habitats, from sagebrush flats to alpine tundra, and flies from April to June depending on region. Adults sip nectar while the caterpillars eat a range of plants such as snowberry and paintbrush; eggs are laid in clusters and pupation starts in early spring.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The underside shows yellow and orange banding.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar, while larvae eat plants such as snowberry, paintbrush, Buddleja, Diplacus aurantiacus and Scrophularia californica. The caterpillars are strictly herbivorous, and the adults rely solely on nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs are laid in clusters. Pupation begins in early to mid-April, and adults emerge from mid-April or May through June.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight season runs from mid-April to June, with regional variation: April-June in California and Oregon, June-July farther north or at higher elevations.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range covers western North America from Alaska down to Baja California and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks similar to Euphydryas anicia; the main difference is in the male genitalia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a pest for gardens or crops?
The information does not indicate they cause damage to plants or crops.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see them?
They are on the wing from mid-April through June, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this butterfly apart from similar species?
It is similar to Euphydryas anicia, but the two differ in male genitalia.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_checkerspot
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.