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| Chlosyne fulvia (W. H. Edwards, 1879) |
| Status: Uncommon local resident |
| Flight Period(s): Double brooded. There are Nebraska records from 25 April – 22 July. |
| Range: The Fulvia Checkerspot is found from Arizona and New Mexico northeast into western portions of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. |
| Larval Hostplant(s): Various Paintbrush (Castilleja) species. In Nebraska Downy Paintbrush (C. sessiliflora) is the hostplant. |
| Overwinter: Half grown larvae overwinter |
| Commentary/Habitat: This species is a rather recent discovery in the state, having first been found in the middle 1980s. However, as is often the case, once the habitat and flight periods are known, it has proven to be quite widely distributed, and is now recorded from 13 counties in the state. It is most common in the loess hills of south central and southwestern Nebraska, but is also found in small numbers in some rugged terrains in the panhandle and in the Niobrara River valley in north central Nebraska. Public access areas with records for the species include Red Willow State Recreation Area (Frontier County), the Interstate 80 East rest area west of Sidney (Cheyenne County), and the Niobrara Valley Preserve (Brown and Keya Paha Counties), with the Checkerspot being scarce at the latter two locales. The Fulvia Checkerspot is normally found on or near hilltops where the hostplant grows. Occasionally individuals are found quite some distance from these habitats, and it is suspected that these are wind blown strays. Adults normally fly low to the ground and can be overlooked and quite elusive in windy conditions that are common in that enviornment. The hostplant is lush during the spring and early summer, but by late June it is usually dessicated and barely recognizable, and remains in that state for the remainder of the year. It would appear that this is hardly suitable fodder for larvae, and that adults emerging after mid June (a third generation?) would have little chance to produce offspring. Some recent publications consider this species to be a subspecies of C. leanira. |
| Similar Species: None |
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