Variegated Fritillary Butterfly

About the Variegated Fritillary Butterfly

The Variegated Fritillary is the Gulf Fritillary's quieter cousin - a tawny-orange butterfly patterned with fine black lines and zigzags in a design that suggests stained glass in earth tones. It lacks the silver-spangled underside of its flashier relative; instead the hindwing below is a soft mottled tan that makes a resting butterfly look like a dead leaf.

True to the family middle ground it occupies, this species bridges two butterfly worlds: it is related to the tropical longwings but built and patterned like the true fritillaries, and its caterpillars - glossy red-orange with white stripes and black spines - accept a wide menu including passionvine, violets, and flax.

That flexible diet helps make it one of the most widespread butterflies in Texas, at home on prairies, roadsides, fallow fields, and gardens across the state through the warm months.

Variegated Fritillaries fly low and nervously, rarely sitting long, which makes a calm, well-lit individual a small photographic victory. Look for them puddling at damp ground on hot days alongside sulphurs and other fritillaries.