The Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) is a widespread butterfly whose normal range extends from Argentina into the southern United States. The species is well known for northward movements each year well beyond its breeding range. Sometimes those vagrants reach as far north as Maine. We have 27 records of the species in the MBS records.
On August 3, Ron Wilson found the first Variegated Fritillary ever for Nova Scotia. Two days later, John Klymko photographed the first record of this species in New Brunswick. The odds of these two Variegated Fritillaries being the only ones in northeastern North America right now are vanishingly small. It’s good to keep an eye out for this butterfly in Maine. Flower gardens and meadows are likely habitats.
Here are a couple of pictures of a very worn Variegated Fritillary I photographed in Colorado in 2012.
