Silvery checkerspot facts for kids
The silvery checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) is a beautiful butterfly found in North America. It's known for its pale yellow-orange wings with dark patterns. These butterflies are sometimes a special concern in certain areas, like Connecticut, where they are thought to have disappeared.
Quick facts for kids Silvery checkerspot |
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C. nycteis
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| Chlosyne nycteis (Doubleday, 1847))
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Contents
What Silvery Checkerspots Look Like
Adult Butterflies
Adult silvery checkerspot butterflies have pale yellow-orange wings. They have dark borders and markings. The back wings have white spots near the edges. These spots can be seen on both the top and bottom of the wing. The back wing also has a white crescent shape at its very edge.
Caterpillars
The caterpillars are mostly black with tiny white spots. Sometimes, they have one or two yellow-orange stripes along their sides. The family of butterflies they belong to, Nymphalidae, is famous for its caterpillars having spiky, branched spines.
Where They Live
Silvery checkerspots live across southern Canada and south into Georgia and Texas. However, they are not found in the Gulf Coastal Plain area.
These butterflies love moist places. You can often spot them near streams. They also enjoy open areas like meadows and forest clearings.
Life Cycle of the Silvery Checkerspot
In the northern parts of their home range, silvery checkerspots have one generation each year. This generation hatches between June and July. In other areas, they have two generations from May to September. In the very southern part of Texas, they can even have three generations.
Female butterflies lay their eggs in groups. Each group can have up to 100 eggs! When the caterpillars are very young, they stay together. They eat the soft parts of leaves, leaving behind the veins. As they grow, when they reach their third stage (called an instar), they find a safe place to sleep through the winter. This is called hibernation.
What They Eat
- Caterpillar Food: Young caterpillars eat leaves from various plants. These include different types of Asters, Actinomeris alternifolia, Helianthus (sunflowers), and Rudbeckia.
- Adult Food: Adult butterflies drink nectar from flowers. Some of their favorite flowers include Red clover, Common milkweed, and Dogbane.
