A Little Fritillary

Last week Dan and I want up to chicken creek to change the water. I went for a walk while dan was shoveling and I found a pretty little fritillary. I don't know much about butterflies, but from what I can tell from my butterfly book, I believe the butterfly I saw was a Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia). It was flying from horse mint to horse mint (Agastache urticifola) sucking the sweet nectar. Mormon Fritillaries eat nectar from a variety of different flowers. They live in the Western mountains from southern Alaska south and east to Manitoba and the Dakotas; south to central California, western and eastern Nevada, southeastern Arizona, and northern New Mexico.

Mormon Fritillary on a horse mint flower cluster

Mormon Fritillary with horse mint leaves

Mormon Fritillary and horse mint