''Chlosyne palla'', the northern checkerspot, is a
butterfly
Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
of the family
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species ha ...
that is found in North America. They range from southern
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
to
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, south to
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, and
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, excluding
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
.
[Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman (2003) ''Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. .]
Description
The adult may be often confused with the others of the ''palla'' group, sagebrush checkerspot (''C. acastus'') and Hoffmann's checkerspot (''C. hoffmanni'').[ The adult's wingspan is .][Northern Checkerspot]
Butterflies of Canada The upperside of the wing has a pattern of dark brown, light orange and tan. The underside of the wing has alternating red and yellow cells.[
]
Life cycle
There is one flight that occurs between April and May or to July in mountainous or northerly areas.[ The caterpillar of this species feeds on goldenrod (''''), rabbitbrush ('']Chrysothamnus
''Chrysothamnus'', known as rabbitbrush, rabbitbush, and chamisa, are a genus of shrubs in the family Asteraceae. The native distribution is in the arid western United States, Canada, and northern Mexico. It is known for its bright white or yell ...
''), and asters.[
]
References
External links
Northern Checkerspot
BugGuide
Butterflies of North America
palla Palla may refer to:
* Palla (garment), a women's headcloth or shawl from ancient Rome
* ''Palla'' (butterfly), a brush-footed butterfly genus described by Jacob Hübner in 1819
* Palla (troubadour), a twelfth-century minstrel from Galicia
* Pal ...
Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval
Butterflies described in 1852
Lepidoptera of the United States
Lepidoptera of Canada
{{Nymphalinae-stub