The Day I Found My Dream Butterfly
<p>I vividly remember seeing the Regal Fritillary (<em>Speyeria idalia</em>) pictured in a butterfly book when I was about five years old. Since that moment, this species has lived rent free in my head and then finally, after 25 years, it happened. To help paint the picture of why finding this butterfly made me so happy, I’m going to do a quick dive into it’s life history.</p>
<p>This large orange and black butterfly finds it’s home in tall grass prairies and various other open sunny locations. It once was found throughout much of eastern United States but unfortunately it has disappeared over much of their range and is either extirpated or found in very local populations in prairie remnants. While this species isn’t federally listed, many states have started conservation efforts on their own.</p>
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