Fritillaries and other nectar butterflies
Speyeria and others
Dozens of butterfly species feed at milkweed without ever laying an egg on it.
What it does on milkweed
Great spangled fritillaries, swallowtails, hairstreaks, skippers and painted ladies all work milkweed heavily. None of them can use it as a host plant; their caterpillars eat violets, willows, legumes and thistles. They come for a nectar supply that arrives in high summer, when many other flowers have finished.
How to recognize it
The great spangled fritillary is large and orange with black chevrons above and rows of silver spots beneath the hindwing. Everything else at a milkweed umbel is worth a second look.
Where and when
Throughout the United States, with the mix changing by region. Most often seen June to August.
Should you do anything about it?
Nothing to do. This is the argument for milkweed in a garden that will never see a monarch.
Fritillaries and other nectar butterflies: common questions
Do other butterflies lay eggs on milkweed?
Only the milkweed butterflies do: monarch, queen and soldier. Everything else at the flowers is nectaring.
Cite this page
This page is licensed CC BY 4.0. Quote it, adapt it and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you credit Milkweed USA and link back.
Milkweed USA. (2026). Fritillaries and other nectar butterflies (Speyeria and others). Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/nectar-butterflies/
"Fritillaries and other nectar butterflies (Speyeria and others)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/nectar-butterflies/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Fritillaries and other nectar butterflies (Speyeria and others)." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/nectar-butterflies/.
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title = {Fritillaries and other nectar butterflies (Speyeria and others)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/wildlife/nectar-butterflies/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}