Speyeria diana are large butterflies who’s preferred terrain is fields, edges, and openings in moist, rich, forested mountains and valleys.
   Their range is the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas to the southern Appalachians from central Virginia and West Virginia through the mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama.
   They display a strong sexual dimorphism.
   The male is more typical of Fritillaries in coloration than the female.
   The male's dorsal side has dark brown/black wings from the base of the wings to slightly past the halfway mark where a bright orange replaces it.
   The dorsal side of the female has mainly black forewings with a few lines of white and/or blue spots running along the outer half of the wing.
   The hindwing is mainly blue.
   The ventral side of the male is mainly tan / orange with black spots near the base of the fore wing.
   The ventral side of the female is mainly black with an iridescent blue sheen, and the fore wing has various lighter blue or blue white spots.
   They are also larger than males.
   Recognized for their swift flight, these butterflies navigate their environment with precision and grace, a trait that aids in their survival and reproductive success.
   Males patrol for females in deep woods.
   After mating, females will walk along the ground laying single eggs on dead twigs and leaves near violets.
   Surprisingly, the caterpillars hatch and overwinter without feeding.
   In the spring they will feed on the leaves and flowers of violets.
   As with all Greater Fritillaries, they have only 1 brood, being on wing from mid June to early September.
   A unique aspect of their lives is that while males have life spans of approximately one month, females have life spans of up to nine months !!
   *On February 28, 2007, the state of Arkansas honored the Diana Fritillary by designating it as the state butterfly, recognizing its significance and beauty.