Baltimore Checkerspot:
Euphydryas phaeton
Baltimore Checkerspot, a butterfly of arresting beauty, is rare and local in the Mountains, the Ridge and Valley and the Piedmont regions. The most frequent hostplant is White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) that grows in boggy areas and along streams. Caterpillars have also been found emerging from cocoons on Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) and feeding on Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) in April. Adult females have also been recorded on dry slopes of open mixed hardwoods where another hostplant, the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava), is common. There is one brood from mid-May to mid-June. Early Date: May 9 (Cobb County); Late Date: June 17 (DeKalb County). Conservation Status: Secure, but habitat should be protected as colonies are often ephemeral.
