Size: Up to 1.75 inch wingspan

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Key ID features:  Male above, bands of pale orange and yellow-orange, separated by black lines, crescents and checks. Basal 1/3 of HW above sometimes black with little orange.  Male often lighter than female above. Below bands of chalk-white and brick red with black veins and edges.  More white below than other similar species.

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Similar species: Northern Checkerspot darker above, and with off-white rather than white below.

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Host plant: Several species including green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), gray rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), desert yellow fleabane (Erigeron linearis) and asters in the genus Dieteria.

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Habitat: Sage desert, pinyon-juniper savanna, washes, gulches, canyons and brushy flats.   

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Range: Mostly below 5000 feet in SE Oregon deserts, and below 3000 feet in Columbia and Snake river basins.

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Season: Late April to late June

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Abundance: Common 

 

Conservation Status: Secure