Great Spangled Fritillary

This large orange butterfly has a series of black dots and chevrons on the upper surface of the wings.

These butterflies are common during summer in the Hocking Hills when milkweed is blooming in fields, gardens, and woodlot edges.

Fritillary caterpillars feed on violets at night and hide during the day in leaf litter. The caterpillars overwinter nearby in the cracks of the bark of large trees.