Wildlife Wednesday – The Great Spangled Flitillary

With spring right around the corner especially with the temps reaching 60 degrees today, it’s a great day for Wildlife Wednesday to spotlight one of our winged friends that brings a smile to everyone’s faces – the Great Spangled Fritillary.
This is a large butterfly with a strong flight. They frequently stop at flowers, especially milkweeds. Males often gather at mud puddles and animal scat, taking in mineral salts and proteins. Females are larger and darker than males, and do not appear until later in the summer when they lay eggs near host plants – but often not on the plants. Newly hatched larvae overwinter without feeding. In spring, they must make their way to the hosts, upon which they only feed at night.
For more info on butterflies and how to plan your backyard for butterflies, head to https://ohiodnr.gov/…/Backyards%20for%20Butterflies…. Ohio Division of Wildlife Ohio Department of Education
Information courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources