Endangered Resources Program Species Information
Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija)

Freija Fritillary Photo by Mike Reese. Check the photos tab for additional photos.
Photo © Mike Reese

Overview

Species Overview

Freija fritillary (Boloria freija), a State Special Concern butterfly, has been found in All Wisconsin sites are large, fairly open muskegs with black spruce, Labrador tea ( Ledum groenlandicum), leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), cottongrass (Eriophorum spp. ) and cranberry (Vaccinium spp.) including openings with wiregrass sedge, Carex oligosperma. Adult flight has been recorded from May 1 to June 9 in Wisconsin. In most seasons the main flight occurs during the last two weeks of May. Records from the Lake Superior region indicate that the butterfly probably flies a week to ten days later in that area.

Status and NHI Documented Occurrences in Wisconsin

The table below provides information about the protected status (State and Federal Status) and the rank (S and G Ranks) for Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija). See the Working List Key for more information about the abbreviations used. Counties shaded blue have documented occurrences for this species in the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory database. For invertebrates, dots depict locations from the "Invertebrate Atlas," a database with occurrences of rare and common aquatic and select terrestrial invertebrate species found in Wisconsin and adjacent areas. While the invertebrate atlas is a quality assured database, not all records have been verified. The map is provided as a general reference of where this species has been found to date and is not meant as a range map.

Summary Information
State Status:	SC/N
Federal Status in Wisconsin:	none
State Rank:	S2S3
Global Rank:	G5
Tracked by NHI:	Y
Species of Greatest Conservation Need:	Y

Documented locations of Boloria freija in the Natural Heritage Inventory Database as of April 2009.

Detailed Information

Identification: Adults are a tawny-orange marked with black above. Basal half of hindwing above is black. Underside is tawny, mottled brown and tan with the characteristic black zigzag median line followed by a scalloped white line. A white wedge is at the center of the hindwing and white spots line the margin. Similarly-colored crescents (Phyciodes spp.) and checkerspots (Chlosyne spp.) in Wisconsin typically display more black scaling on the outer borders of the upper side of the wings than do the fritillaries, in which the black markings are most often broken into an array of discrete spots. The underside of the hindwing must be viewed to separate the species. Wingspan: 34-40 mm. Length of forewing: 18-24 mm. All Boloria larvae have rows of branched spines with no mid-dorsal row and no spines on the head. B. freija larvae are dark brown to black with lighter spots and many branching, black spines.

Similar Species: Only the Freija fritillary (Boloria freija) and Frigga fritillary (B. frigga) have black on the basal half of the hindwing. B. frigga is a larger butterfly and has no white markings on the hindwing below.

Habitat: Sparsely timbered hummocky bogs with black spruce, Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum), leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), cottongrass (Eriophorum spp.) and cranberry (Vaccinium spp.) including openings with wiregrass sedge, Carex oligosperma. Most sites have well-developed hummocks supporting extensive cranberry.

Nectar Source: Adults have been observed nectaring at leatherleaf in Wisconsin, and also bog rosemary in Michigan. Sometimes visits flowers in forest clearings.

Host Plant: Recorded feeding on blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) (Layberry 1998), and dwarf bilberry (Vaccinium caespitosum) in Washington and Manitoba (Scott 1986). Observed ovipositing on cranberry in Oneida County, WI (Johnson, pers. obs.) and Michigan (Nielsen 1999).

Associated Species: In larger sites, Red-disked alpine (Erebia discoidalis) usually flies at the same time.

State Distribution: A localized species, but it can be quite numerous in some of the larger bogs. Douglas, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Oneida, Price, and Vilas counties.

Global Distribution: Holarctic. Much of Alaska and Canada south to the northern Great Lakes area; south through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico.

Threats: Disruption of bog hydrology.

Phenology: Adult flight has been recorded from May 1 to June 9 in Wisconsin. In most seasons the main flight occurs during the last two weeks of May. Records from the Lake Superior region indicate that the butterfly probably flies a week to ten days later in that area. Flight has been recorded from May 8 to June 5 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Life History: Eggs are laid singly in the leaf litter near the hostplant. Larvae feed only at night on leaves. Late-stage larvae or pupae hibernate.

Survey Guidance: Like other boreal or alpine butterflies, look for the adults flying low to the ground to avoid cold winds. It has been observed on the wing with air temperatures in the mid 40’s F. under sunny conditions (Ferge, pers.obs.). Males patrol for females in open areas during warm hours (Opler et al. 1995). New county records should be documented with voucher specimens.

Inventory, Monitoring and Research Needs: Locate additional populations. A considerable amount of potential habitat in Wisconsin has not been surveyed. There are likely a significant number of undiscovered populations throughout northern Wisconsin.

Information originally presented as part of the Online Field Guide to Rare Lepidoptera: Bogs and Barrens.

Photos

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