Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly.

The great spangled fritillary is a common butterfly throughout southern Canada and the northern US. It is unusual in the fact that there are many variations of the wing pattern. At first, I thought the butterfly I photographed was a checkerspot, but I could not find any internet images that quite matched the one I had taken. Further research made me conclude that it may be a fritillary; that was corroborated when I found numerous images that corresponded to mine. The issue that came up in my search was that this particular butterfly did not have a specific morphology.

The variations in appearance of this particular insect are very broad and yet they are all the same species. Some butterflies, like the well-known monarch, travel over great distances and seem to have a uniform morphology. The great spangled fritillary lives over a widespread area but seems to have developed many morphs (shows polymorphism). I find this amazing, something akin to diversity in human morphology, which occurred over time as human populations were physically separated from one another before globalization took place.

The idea deals with a species living over a wide range that is grouped into separate breeding populations. The great spangled fritillary, for example, has populations across much of North America, but those groups do not interbreed with each other. The butterflies within any one area tend to stay there; there is little migration outside of the area where they matured into adults. As a result, the genes in each gene pool are separated from those in gene pools of other areas. Even though they belong to the same species the powers of selection and the occasional random mutation allow variations to occur.

To me, this speaks of the diversity of life, even within a particular species. It turns out there is enormous value to all this variety as one morph may be better adapted to survive in an area if conditions change. Global warming, environmental degradation, and toxic chemical agents such as insecticides and pollutants will increase mortality within the various morphs. Having a wide genetic diversity will help ensure this butterfly's survival. Some species, such as the Oregon Silverspot, is on the endangered list as mounting environmental pressures have all but guaranteed its extinction.

It turns out there is great value in diversity.

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen