The Variable
Checkerspot is in our gardens in April and May. This one is sipping
the nectar of Scaevola formosa, one of the pincushion flowers. The
caterpillars eat Plantain, Penstemon
and Snowberry. Since nearly everyone has Plantain even if you don't
want it. You likely have the host plants for this beauty.
Plantain has been called "Englishman's Foot" due to its great
ability to thrive in almost any conditions that we can.
The
experts argue as to the correct species for this group of variable
butterflys. The adults eat nectar from a wide variety of flowers.
This
image is available in high resolution and is part of our photo
collection.
