As I was walking through a pinyon-juniper woodland, I spotted an indescript flower next to the prickly pear (Opuntia polycantha) cactus. I got down on my knees to get a better look at this member of the Lily Family (Liliaceae).
From below, the flower became much more colorful, with the yellow background color and purple mottling. This is spotted fritillary (Fritillaria atropurpurea). It has many other common names, including purple fritillary, spotted mountainbells, and spotted missionbells. It is found from the Dakotas to California, and the flower is always nodding, so it is easy to miss.
This is a view from about waist high, with a spotted fritillary on each side of the Opuntia. Not the fly on the one on the right sideFor more information about spotted fritillary, click here.
1 comment:
And I thought fritillaries were only butterflies.
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