Mormon fritillary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mormon fritillary
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Argynnis mormonia Boisduval, 1869

The Speyeria mormonia, also known as the Mormon fritillary, is a type of butterfly found in North America. It belongs to the Nymphalidae family. This butterfly has many different types, called subspecies, that live across a large area. Male Mormon fritillaries usually appear as adults before females do. This difference in timing affects how both males and females behave. Scientists are still learning about the specific places these butterflies like to live. However, the Mormon fritillary is not currently in danger, so special efforts to protect it are not usually needed.

Where Mormon Fritillaries Live

The Mormon fritillary butterfly lives all over western North America. You can find many of them in both the United States and Canada. In Canada, four different types (subspecies) live from the Yukon to British Columbia. In the United States, more subspecies are found. Some live in the mountains of Colorado, while others prefer wetter, greener areas in California and Nevada. Compared to other Speyeria butterflies, the Mormon fritillary covers a very wide area. Because of this, there's a lot of natural variety within the species.

Mormon Fritillary Habitats

Mormon fritillaries can live in many different places. These include rocky mountainsides, wet meadows, open grasslands, and clearings in pine forests. Their numbers depend on the weather and if there's enough nectar from Viola plants (violets). Violets need good rainfall to grow well. Both in Canada and the US, these butterflies are often found in higher places. They tend to live in small groups that are somewhat separated from each other. How much they move between these groups can differ. For example, one Canadian subspecies stays in isolated spots. But a group in Colorado showed they moved a lot between different areas.

What Mormon Fritillaries Eat

Young Mormon fritillaries, called larvae or caterpillars, eat different kinds of violet plants. Scientists haven't found any one type of violet that they prefer. Mormon fritillaries have been seen eating many violet species. These include Viola dunce, Viola canadensis, Viola glabella, Viola nephrophylla, Viola orbiculate, and Viola renifolia.

Violets bloom before the adult butterflies are most active. This means violets are not a main source of nectar for adult butterflies. Adult butterflies also feed at mud puddles. This is especially true for males and older females. They also drink nectar from Compositae plants. Female butterflies need to eat more as adults for successful reproduction. However, male butterflies need nectar more for their own survival.

How They Handle Food Stress

When there isn't enough food, female Mormon fritillaries can change how they use their nutrients. They can take back nutrients from eggs they haven't laid yet. This helps them survive, but it means they lay fewer eggs. If given the chance, females will drink a lot of honey-water in experiments. This shows how important adult feeding is for females to lay eggs. If they don't get enough food, they will choose to survive over laying many eggs.

Mud Puddling Behavior

Mud puddling is when adult butterflies drink from mud or animal waste instead of nectar. Male Mormon fritillaries puddle more than females. Younger males puddle more often than older males. Older females also puddle, especially if they haven't mated many times. This behavior helps them get important nutrients. Males get sodium from puddles. They then pass this sodium to females when they mate. An older female who has only mated once or twice might run out of sodium. So, she will puddle to get more. Young females still have sodium from their first mating, so they don't need to puddle. Females who mate many times get more sodium each time, so they also don't need to puddle.

Mormon Fritillary Life Cycle

Egg Stage

Eggs are laid near violet plants, often in leaf litter.

Caterpillar Stage

Mormon fritillary caterpillars are tan with black stripes. They stop eating and growing during winter to hibernate. This is called diapause. When they are older, the caterpillars depend on violet plants for food.

Pupa Stage

Female butterflies stay in their pupa stage longer than males. This probably helps them gather more nutrients from their caterpillar stage. These nutrients can then be used for laying eggs.

Adult Stage

Male butterflies emerge from their pupa at least two weeks before females. Their busiest flight time is also 2-3 weeks before females. Scientists observed adult lifespan in Colorado. It ranged from 10 to 40 days.

Sex Ratio of Adults

There are more adult male Mormon fritillaries than females. This might be because males emerge weeks before females. The longer time females spend in the pupa stage means there's a higher chance they might die before becoming adults. So, even if an equal number of male and female eggs are laid, more males might survive to adulthood. This difference affects how successful males are at mating. It also means females need nutrients from their caterpillar stage.

Subspecies

Here are the different types of Mormon fritillaries, listed in alphabetical order:

• S. m. arge (Strecker, 1878)
• S. m. artonis (Edwards, 1881)
• S. m. bischoffii (Edwards, 1870)
• S. m. erinna (Edwards, 1883)
• S. m. eurynome (Edwards, 1872)
• S. m. luski (Barnes & McDunnough, 1913)
• S. m. opis (Edwards, 1874)
• S. m. washingtonia (Barnes & McDunnough, 1913)

Mormon Fritillary Reproduction

Male Mormon fritillaries become adults at least two weeks before females. Because of this, males can mate many times. Females, however, usually mate only once. Also, about half of the male butterflies don't get to mate at all. Males actively look for mates. They fly low over their habitats searching for females who are resting. Females are often found on plants where they drink nectar. Getting enough nectar is very important for them to lay eggs successfully.

When they mate, females get sodium from the males. This sodium is used to produce eggs. If females do get to mate more than once, they can get most of their nutrients from these "nuptial gifts." This means they don't need to spend as much time looking for nectar. After mating, females lay their eggs near violet plants, but rarely directly on them. You can see females walking through plants, looking for the perfect spot to lay their eggs.

Mormon Fritillary Body and Flight

Body Features

The Mormon fritillary is smaller than other fritillary butterflies. Their wings are orange with small black spots. The underside of their hindwing is greenish with light silver streaks. These silver streaks look different in various subspecies. Some are shiny, while others appear chalky white. On average, female wings are about 25-27mm wide. Males have slightly smaller wings, from 23-26mm wide. These sizes are for a group in Colorado, so wingspan might be different in other groups or subspecies.

Flight Patterns

Mormon fritillaries have one flight period each year, from mid-July to early September. This is called being univoltine. Males fly first, and females follow two to three weeks later. Even though they start at different times, both males and females finish their flight period around the same time, by the end of August or early September. Both sexes tend to spread out when they fly. There isn't a big difference in how far males and females travel. However, males might move around more because they fly close to the ground to find mates. Their flight period also depends a lot on the weather. If there isn't much rain, their flight period will be shorter.

Images for kids

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  A Mormon fritillary butterfly.