Variable checkerspot

The variable checkerspot or Chalcedon checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) is a <a href="/facts/Butterfly/qlSgwlRx">butterfly</a> in the family <a href="/facts/Nymphalidae/WVaX5VII">Nymphalidae</a>. It is found in western North America, where its range stretches from <a href="/facts/Alaska/LlDNr2uR">Alaska</a> in the north to <a href="/facts/Baja_California/vJY3AFwn">Baja California</a> in the south and extends east through the <a href="/facts/Rocky_Mountains/rDc3cU0E">Rocky Mountains</a> into <a href="/facts/Colorado/IgIHrJI5">Colorado</a>, <a href="/facts/Montana/jPFKMuK5">Montana</a>, <a href="/facts/New_Mexico/wosJCGaW">New Mexico</a> and <a href="/facts/Wyoming/kuKmWryL">Wyoming</a>. The butterfly is usually brown or black with extensive white and yellow checkering and some red coloration on the dorsal wing. Adult wingspan is 3.2–5.7 cm (1.3–2.2 in). Adult butterflies feed on <a href="/facts/Nectar/Y784ExfM">nectar</a> from <a href="/facts/Flower/7gI5Kefw">flowers</a> while <a href="/facts/Larvae/GKo2FIew">larvae</a> feed on a variety of plants including snowberry (<a href="/facts/Symphoricarpos/j8a3ysnT">Symphoricarpos</a>), paintbrush (<a href="/facts/Castilleja/XQdnbJSJ">Castilleja</a>), <a href="/facts/Buddleja/x1YMKzv4">Buddleja</a>, <a href="/facts/Diplacus_aurantiacus/WujuN7dx">Diplacus aurantiacus</a> and <a href="/facts/Scrophularia_californica/t4BFjoAU">Scrophularia californica</a>.
During the breeding period, males congregate around larval host plants to encounter females. Males court female butterflies via physical displays. Successful courtship leads to copulation, when the male deposits a nutrient-rich <a href="/facts/Spermatophore/TuJFqDxv">spermatophore</a> in the female. In addition, males also secrete a <a href="/facts/Mating_plug/2zzCwAWz">mating plug</a> during copulation that hinders the ability of females to mate with other males.
Pregnant females look for host plants like <a href="/facts/Diplacus_aurantiacus/WujuN7dx">Diplacus aurantiacus</a> that are close to nectar sources when they lay their eggs. The larvae that emerge from the eggs feed and live on these host plants, some of which have developed strategies to deter larvae from eating their leaves. After moving to a darker and more secluded site, larvae enter <a href="/facts/Diapause/y4fPYEjC">diapause</a>, emerging between January and March with <a href="/facts/Pupation/0u7NE8Cq">pupation</a> usually beginning in April.
The variable checkerspot is a potential food source for many avian predators. Due to a larval diet rich in <a href="/facts/Catalpol/1y1JbTBJ">catalpol</a>, this butterfly has developed a strategy of unpalatability to deter avian predation. In addition, coloring plays a part in the defense strategy of the butterfly; intense red coloration deters predators from attacking them.

Variable checkerspot open-in-new

Variable checkerspot