Sagebrush Checkerspot (Chlosyne acastus) is a member of the Nymphalidae

Nymphalidae

The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...

 family that is found in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. They range from western United States east to Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 and to southern Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

.

Description

The adult may be often confused with the Northern Checkerspot (C. palla) and Hoffmann's Checkerspot (C. hoffmanni). The adult's wingspan is 33–44 mm (1.3–1.7 in).

Life cycle

There is one flight that occurs between May to early September in Canada. The caterpillar of this species feeds on Rabbit-brush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus is a species of shrub in the daisy family known by the common names yellow rabbitbrush and green rabbitbrush. It is native to western North America, from British Columbia to California to Nebraska, where it grows in sagebrush and woodland habitat. It grows easily in...

) and desert-aster (Machaeranthera

Machaeranthera

Machaeranthera is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family which are known by the common name tansyaster. Tansyasters are variable in appearance. Some are small singular wildflowers while others are sprawling shrubs. Several species easily hybridize with each other as well, making...

spp.).