Silvery Checkerspot on Black-eyed Susan

July 11, 2026

A Silvery Checkerspot (Chlorine nycteisI) is a medium-small brush-footed butterfly with a wingspan of 1 3/8 to 2 inches. This one is sitting atop a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) which is really flourishing right now, much to the delight of these little butterflies.

Host plants of these Silvery Checkerspots are sunflowers, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and Ragweeds. As adults they live for 10 to 14 days, with some lucky ones surviving for up to 3 weeks. During that time they will eat flower nectar, and visit damp soil and mud puddles to sip the water, which provides them with essential minerals. This is known as puddling, a behavior that many butterflies take part in.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Silvery Checkerspot on Black-eyed Susan”

    1. Thanks bunches Leigh! You’re an artist too? I do an occasional painting or sketch, but realized years ago that I can express myself through art by clicking the shutter on my camera. Hardly any time taken and it’s done!
      So very glad we have each other’s posts to read!
      Bren

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