Aphrodite Fritillary

 The Aphrodite fritillary is a colorful butterfly that is found in the north eastern half of the United States and south eastern Canada. They are a nectar butterfly and are frequently seen on bright flowers such as this butterfly weed milkweed. Since they usually frit from flower to flower in search of nectar they are also good pollinators. They over winter as a first instar larva (caterpillar) so there is usually only one brood per summer.  I photographed this butterfly at Crex Meadows back when it was a bit warmer outside.

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.  

Aphrodite Fritillary

One of the subfamilies that makes up the brushfoot or Nymphalidae family of butterflies is the fritillaries or Heliconiinae subfamily. Fritillaries are orange butterflies with black patterns that come in a variety of sizes.

Fritillary butterflies spend much of their time out in the fields feeding on wildflowers such as , thistle, hawkweed, knapweed and milkweed, pictured below. Eggs are laid by the female on violets, the caterpillar host plant, usually in wooded areas. Fritillaries overwinter in their larval form, the caterpillar going into a dormant state until spring.

The Aphrodite fritillary can survive in a variety of different habitats which has enabled them to become fairly wide spread. In this area there is only one brood per year with the butterflies typically seen between late Jun through early September. I took these pics at Rice Lake State Park.

Aphrodite Fritillary

Aphrodite Fritillary

Critters come in many different shapes and sizes and even though this weeks critter is pretty small, what it lacks in size it makes up for it in color and beauty. The Aphrodite fritillary is a member of the Nymphalidae or brush-foot family. Brush-foots get their common name from their shortened front legs which are covered with long hairs making them resemble brushes.
The brush-foots are one of the largest families of butterflies, with around 5000 species around the world. Because of the large number of types they are broken down into several different subfamilies, these include the milkweed butterflies, admirals and viceroys, emperors, satyrs and wood-nymphs, true brushfoots, and fritillaries. There are about 220 different kinds of brush-foot butterflies in the US.
The subfamily Heliconiinae, or fritillaries, are recognisable by their their orange and black patterns, with larger fritillaries have metallic spots on the under side of the hindwing. They are usually found in open spaces such as fields, meadows and parks. Fritillaries over winter as caterpillars at the base of their host plant, although they do not eat in the first stage after they hatch. The following spring the larva begin to eat the new leaves from the host plant, which are various forms of violet. There are 10 types of fritts in the US including the Aphrodite fritillary here which I photographed at Rice Lake NWR.

Aphrodite Fritillary

Aphrodite Fritillary

Crex Meadows Road Trip

The second road trip that I took with the new car was to Crex Meadows. Crex is located about 90 miles north of the Twin Cities just over the border in Wisconsin. All together I ended up driving about 200 miles, this included driving around the park and ended up using a little bit over 4 gallons of gas.

While driving I try and keep an eye on the road, an eye on the dash, it turns green when I am driving more efficiently, and an eye out for wildlife. It's a good thing that I have four eyes that way I can also keep one closed to get some rest while I drive LOL. You never know what you might see while you drive like an American kestrel hanging out on the power lines. Fortunately I spotted this kestrel after I left the interstate so I could stop to take some pics. Usually kestrels are quick to fly away when you pull your car over but this little guy did not seem to mind me very much. If you look closely you can see that he has one foot tucked which is not something a bird will do if he is nervous or frightened.

Crex is named for the Crex Carpet Company which owned the land in the early 1900's. The Crex Carpet Co. harvested wiregrass from the areas marsh lands to create grass rugs. In 1933 the carpet company went bankrupt, later, in 1946, the state of Wisconsin bought the land and turned it into the Wildlife Management Area that it is today. The carpet camps are long gone but the marshes where the grasses where harvested from still exist and are now home to a lot of wildlife. One of the most noticeable wildlife that you can often find in the marshes of Crex during the warm months are the very large sandhill cranes. Sandhills can be found in Crex through out the spring and summer but the largest populations are seen in the fall when migrant birds use crex as a staging area for the fall migration.

Crex Meadows stands on what is sometimes referred to as the Northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens. The barrens is a long narrow sand plain that was formed as the Wisconsin glacier retreated 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. As the glacier retreated north, glacial till was deposited in the area forming the sand prairies that make up the Barrens and much of Crex.

The sand prairies support the growth of many different prairie grasses and plants. Wild flowers like butterfly weed, black-eyed Susan, and blazing star help to add color to the prairie and attract butterflies like the pink edged sulphur, pictured above, and the Aphrodite fritillary, pictured above the sulphur.

As the Wisconsin Glacier receded it also created Glacial Lake Grantsburg over where Crex now stands. Over the years the lake drained away leaving shallow sedge marshes behind. Today there is approximately 6000 acres of open water with in the Wildlife Management Area. Most of this comes from the twenty-nine flowages which are managed by a series of dikes, pumps and transfer ditches. Besides the flowages there are also four natural lakes, numerous ponds and three streams which begin on the property.

These waterways are home to many different types of wildlife including fish, reptiles, mammals, and waterfowl. Some of the waterfowl are visitors who stop in the spring and the fall during migration to rest and to feed. Other waterfowl like the common loon and pied-billed grebe can be found all summer long. The common loon in the photo above is an immature that was born in the park and photographed on Phantom Lake. For more information about Crex Meadows check out their website here.