Gorgone CheckerspotGorgone Checkerspot
Size - 30 to 40 mm.
On the wing - Late May through September. Represented by three waves.
Range - Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and scattered colonies in southern Ontario.
Host plants - Black-eyed Susans.
Favourite habitat - Clear sandy grasslands.
Special notes - This butterfly recently made it's return into Ontario after being deemed extirpated from this province. The Gorgone Checkerspot had been limited to the extreme tip of southern Ontario, primarily southwest of Toronto. Now a few colonies have been discovered in the vicinity of Ottawa....possibility due to the effects of global warming and the resulting potential for territorial expansion.
