Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) on cow parsnip in northeast IA 653A7276
The flight season for Baltimore checkerspots peaks around the summer solstice here in the Driftless Region, so if you know where there's a fen, now is the time to check it out if you want to see this beautiful butterfly. Unfortunately, fens are one of the rarest natural habitats left in Iowa due to most of the landscape being tiled, drained and converted to crops. Fens are Iowa's version of a bog, but instead of the water being acidic, it's alkaline. Fens are also the only places in Iowa where white turtlehead plants, the food source for Baltimore checkerspot caterpillars, grows.
Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) on cow parsnip in northeast IA 653A7276
The flight season for Baltimore checkerspots peaks around the summer solstice here in the Driftless Region, so if you know where there's a fen, now is the time to check it out if you want to see this beautiful butterfly. Unfortunately, fens are one of the rarest natural habitats left in Iowa due to most of the landscape being tiled, drained and converted to crops. Fens are Iowa's version of a bog, but instead of the water being acidic, it's alkaline. Fens are also the only places in Iowa where white turtlehead plants, the food source for Baltimore checkerspot caterpillars, grows.