Great Spangled Fritillary, (Speyeria cybele)

Despite the intense heat and drought we had a dozen people today for the butterfly walk. Fewer flowers meant that we saw only a handful up butterflies. The heat was already up to 100-degrees when we finished at 11:30 but everyone was smiling. The air conditioning at the PGT visitor center really felt good as people stopped for a drink of cold water on the way out.

We only saw two Great Spangled Fritillaries. They are one of our most common butterflies.