Great spangled fritillary

Description:

A butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It reaches 2 1/8 to 3" in wingspan. It is characterized by its orange color above with five black dashes near fore wing base and several iregualer black dashes at the base of the hind wing. In addition, two rows of black crescents run along the edges of the wings. Below, the fore wing is yellowish-orange with black marks similar to the upperside, with a few silver spots on the tip of the wing. The hind wing is reddish-brown with silver spots on the base and middle of the wing. A broad yellow band and silver triangles are the most notable qualities on the wing, next to the brown margin. Females tend to be darker than males and individuals from the western reaches of this species range tend to be brighter orange

Habitat:

This species covers a wide range over North America Stretching from Southern British Columbia, eastward to Quebec and the Maritime Provinces down south west of the Rocky Mountains to California, and down east of the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Northern Georgia. Curiously, it does not occur in the Midwest, or in the Great Plains. Prime habitat for this species includes moist meadows and deciduous woods in the east. In the west, it prefers moist pine and oak woods and is common around woodland edges

Notes:

Noticed several in the middle of a gravel road.