Aphrodite Fritillary:
Speyeria aphrodite

Aphrodite Fritillary is rare to locally uncommon in the high elevation mountain meadows of the Blue Ridge Mountain counties. In 1998, Ron Gatrelle described a new subspecies, S.a. cullasaja, which only occurs in the Southern Appalachians. He wrote, “The basal half of the dorsal surface in both sexes, but especially the female, is suffused with dark brown scales. So much so that some females look almost black.” (International Lepidoptera Survey). His Georgia surveys for the species were done in the area where the photos on this page were taken. The habitat is high elevation islands in the Georgia mountains. The hostplants are violets, including common blue violet (Viola sororia), primrose-leaved violet (Viola primulifolia) and others. There is a single brood that occurs from late May to early October, although the current records are only from early June (June 10, Rabun County) to mid-July (July 4, Rabun County). Conservation Status: Due to rarity, colonies need protection.