Diana Fritillary

Diana Fritillary
Male
Living specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Speyeria
Species:	S. diana
Binomial name
Speyeria diana (Cramer, 1779)[1]

The Diana Fritillary (Speyeria diana) is a dimorphic butterfly found in several wooded areas in southern and eastern North America (primarily in the Arkansas River valley, several counties in South Carolina, and spots along the Appalachian mountain range). Males of the species exhibit an orange color on the edges of their wings, with a burnt orange underwing which does not have the typical silver scales found in most fritillary species. The female is dark blue, with dark, almost dusty underwings^[2] and is much larger than the male.^{[citation needed]}

The larvae feed on violet leaves. Dianas are unusual in that they do not lay their eggs directly on the host plant, instead scattering the eggs around the base of the plant. Upon hatching larva burrow into the ground over winter to emerge in spring. Adults feed on flower nectar and dung.^[2]

On February 28, 2007, Act 156 of the Arkansas General Assembly designated the Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana) as the official state butterfly. Introduced by Representative John Paul Wells of Logan County, the legislation for making the butterfly a state symbol took note of the butterfly’s beauty, educational importance, and impact on tourism. Arkansas is the only state to designate the Diana fritillary as its state butterfly; pairing it with its state insect, the honeybee. Arkansas is the twenty-sixth state to designate a butterfly as a state symbol.^[3]

References

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