California Checkerspot
Chlosyne californica
Photo taken at Mesquite Wash, e. Maricopa Co., Arizona. September.
Nymphalidae -- Brush-footed Butterfly Family
Most likely to be seen at damp spots in washes or at seeps in late summer or
early fall in the northern and western regions of the Sonoran Desert. Further
south it is replaced by the similar looking Chlosyne lacinia which
usually lacks the the bright submarginal spots on the hindwing and has a
narrower band across the wings. The caterpillars use a variety of plants
belonging to the sunflower family (asteraceae).
More Information:
- Butterflies and Moths of North America
- Mariposas Mexicanus
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search
- Book Reference: Butterflies of Southestern Arizona by Richard Bailowitz & Jim Brock available at Sonoran Arthropod Studies.
This checkerspot was sunning on a boulder in the Estrella Mountain Wilderness, Maricopa Co., Arizona. March 2009.