Mormon Fritillary
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The three pictures shown here demonstrate the problems associated with identifying fritillary butterflies without having a good top and side view of the wings.
The top picture was taken in a mountain area where Mormon, Callippe and Coronis fritillaries share territory. Since the species have similar looking top wings, and each can have slightly different appearances in different locations, identification using only a top picture is problematic.
The bottom picture is a less than stellar side view of the same butterfly. The white line is pointing to a patch of green on the bottom of the wing that matches the green on the top of the wings in picture three. Those green patches are typical Mormon Fritillary field marks.
So, tentatively, maybe, the butterfly is a Mormon Fritillary. That generally sums up fritillary butterfly identification.
© 2008 Patricia A. Michaels