Aphrodite's Star

 Blazing star is a member of the Aster family that blooms later in the summer (from July to September). This type of blazing star forms long stalky stems that grow in clumps. When it blooms the stalks fill with tightly packed purple flowers. These flowers must produce a lot of nectar because blazing star is always a magnet for many different species of butterfly. In this photo an aphrodite fritillary is feed on the flowers. There are many different species of fritillary butterflies. Most of them are medium to large in size and usually a combination of orange, black and white in color. The aphrodite fritillary is native to the north eastern half of the United States into south eastern Canada. They can be found from the east coast all the way to the Rocky Mountains and as far south as New Mexico in the west and the Carolinas in the east. Their larval host plant are varies violet plants.