Species Page: Purplish Fritillary (Boloria chariclea helena)

Purplish Fritillay

Boloria chariclea helena (W. H. Edwards, 1871)

Family: Nymphalidae

Status: Very rare stray or resident, possibly extirpated.

NENHP Rank: Not listed

Range: Most of North America north of the Canadian border, as well as higher elevation environments in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and northern New Mexico.

Larval Hostplant(s): Likely a violet (Viola) species if it were to breed in Nebraska.

Broods/Flight Times: There is one flight annually in July and August in the Colorado Rockies.

Overwintering: As larvae.

Habitat: This butterfly inhabits high altitudes in Colorado.

Avg. Wingspan: 1 3/16 – 1 1/2 inches

Found at: The one Nebraska specimen was found southeast of Crawford in Dawes County in 1984.

Similar Species:

Notes: Clossiana chariclea has, until recently, been referred to as Clossiana titania (which has been determined to be isolated to the Old World) in most literature. This is a curious record for Nebraska, as the species is normally found at northern latitudes or higher elevations.

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