I am currently raising GFs and VFs. The GFs were found on Passiflora--Incense, Incarnata, Caerula(sp?),and Lady Margaret. The most eggs were on the Incense, but my PC is still very small. The VFs were found on the Incarnata, and one little tiny violet plant. Most of the eggs were on the Incarnata, but I don't have a lot of violet plants currently.

In the past, I have only grown Incarnata and Caerula. Caerula seemed to be preferred by the GFs, and Incarnata, by the VFs.

OKSandy

I've found jillions of gulf fritillaries on maypops/passiflora incarnata, a good many of them on two of its hybrids p. 'Incense' and p. 'Lady Margaret', a good many on p. caerulea 'Waterloo Blue' and a few on p. biflora, and p. lutea.
I've found variegated fritillaries on maypops/p. incarnata and common, purple-flowering, heart-shaped leaf violets/viola floridana - I've never found any VFs on the local white-flowering violets/v. primulifolia.
MissSherry

I have raised Variegated Frits on viola soraria and Gulf Frits on passiflora incarnata 'Incense' and P. ceurulea. Gulf frits are not "true" frits, but rather members of the heliconia, or longwing, species.

These are the only two we get in my area of central Oklahoma. Great Spangled Frits are found in northeastern Oklahoma, and it is my understanding they strictly use violet ssp.

V. soraria has the true blue/violet flower. I have lots of Johnny-Jump-Ups in the yard, with white flowers, and have never seen any activity on them.

Susan

Variagated Frits and Great Spangled Frits appear to use (i.e., I see them hanging out near) violets.

Here the Varieg. frits will only use the true native P. incarnata. I don't have many wild violets. The Gulf frits will use my incarnata, incense, and caerulea.

I wonder if up north, they would ALL use common blue violets? Or are they particular as to which violets.

p.s. I love Johnny-Jump-Ups (Viola tricolor).

Oh, I love the tricolors, too, NJ, but they just don't attract any butterflies. They are such a nice harbinger of spring, though. I think viola soraria is the common blue violet, and I got some from a very nice butterfly friend here. They are native to Oklahoma as well, though, but as an urban gardener, I didn't have any and I don't really get out to the country (Linda, I need to visit you sometime to see your sanctuary, and you, too, Sandy).

Most host plant databases say the VFs and other true frits use "violet ssp.", but IMHO, they are particular as to which viola species they DO actually use.

I hope to acquire a P. incarnata one day, but they don't use the P. incarnata 'Incense' at all.

Does anyone have other viola species that you've found the VFs on?????

Susan

Here in Central Florida, I have raised many Gulf Frits on both Passiflora Incarnata and P. Suberosa. The Suberosa is available all year round and they seem to use it all year round. This is the first year that I have found lots of them on my Incarnata but prior to this it has been mostly in the shade.

I also have P. Amethyst and P. Carelua and have seen eggs on both to a much lesser extent but I have not brought them in to raise because the leaves wilt so easily.

I have only done VF's out of those, and they will use violets and johnny-jump-ups,violas, pansies, etc. I only see eggs laid on violas, etc. (I have violas, etc. outside, but the violet is potted inside until it is big enough to plant out), but I did a test this year as follows: I decided to test different VF host plants that I have heard of using, specifically; violas, violets (I believe this specific kind has blue(?) flowers), stonecrop (Sedum spurium), and (I believe) Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major). I only used 2 cats, but the verdict was that 1 cat ate the violet when I put it on the leaf (I only put 1 cat on that sample), but the plantain and stonecrop were shunned when a cat was put on those leaves (I forget whether I used 1 or 2 cats each on them). I already knew that all VF's I had ate violas, as the eggs and cats were on them when I found them.
-Jmcat

Southwest Florida is the same as mboston said.