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The Brush-footed butterflies, one of the largest Butterfly families, only have four hairy forelegs which are too short for walking. The front pair of the Baltimore Checkerspot is clearly visible, since they are orange in colour, in contrast to the largely black thorax. It has prominent knobs on its antennae. Its large wings, spanning from 4.4 to 7.0 cm, are black with orange and white spots arranged in a checkered-like pattern.
This butterfly flies from mid-June to early August. It is a relatively weak flier, found in wet meadows and marshes flying just above the vegetation, seeking their favourite food, the Turtlehead. They are poisonous to birds and they advertise this with their bright colours.
The females, who can be quite large, lay masses of eggs (often several hundred) under the leaves of the Turtlehead plant. The larvae are black with orange stripes and branching spines. They feed communally in a silken nest and feed on the Turtlehead leaves.
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BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT
Euphydryas phaeton
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