Fritillary sp.

Posting mid-evening today, so really late. Been on a botanizing trip today, way south of the city, but the posted photo was taken a week ago on July 10th, on a different trip, to the Small Whaleback - also, way south of the city. The Small Whaleback is an area of beautiful, rolling hills, just off Highway 22 and just north of the Oldman River. Two of us happened to see this beautiful Fritillary fluttering around some small rocks just before getting back to the parking lot at the end of the hike. I posted this image on Bug Guide to see if an ID suggestion could be given and the reply was: "It is very difficult to tell Speyeria species without seeing the under side; however, this is definitely not S. callippe, that species looks rather different. It looks to me like a male Speyeria atlantis."
… David J. Ferguson. Thank you, David, for your help and such a quick reply!


Today's trip was a revisit to Plateau Mountain, one of my favourite places. We only hiked up the gravel road as far as the meadows, and then followed the top of the ridge in the direction of the cars, and eventually climbed down to the gravel road. Temperature was a delightful 18C up there, with quite a strong breeze, but it's hotter back here in Calgary. It's 32C in my computer room and it can only get worse as it is supposed to reach a high of 32C in Calgary tomorrow. Not my kind of heat, for sure, and I feel totally exhausted after today's hike : ) Thanks so much for driving Sandy and myself, Doug!

Each time I'm out in a place like this, I'm in awe - this is just one tiny area and when you think of all the thousands of hillside slopes and alpine meadows and valleys in the Rocky Mountains and Foothills, each offering such amazing beauty, it's overwhelming. It doesn't matter where you go and spend time - there is so much beauty to see.