Atlantis Fritillary

Location: Errol, New Hampshire
The approach to the rustic two-room cabin in a remote area of northern New Hampshire required crossing the Dead Diamond River then traversing a meadow of wild flowers. All seemed quiet and peaceful at first blush as I lugged my gear toward the small log structure on a knob above the river. I looked forward to a three-day retreat from the electronic world. Though I was 15 miles from the nearest town, off the grid, my haven in the Great North Woods was more populated than I thought, not by people, but by Atlantis fritillary butterflies (Speyeria atlantis).
The meadow by the cabin was a pink sea of milkweed blossoms. Upon closer inspection, I could see orange and black beauties flitting busily from cluster to cluster, frantically dabbing their probosci into each tiny flower like a kid with a free pass to a candy store. Judging by their intense feeding frenzy, milkweed must be a sweet treat indeed to Atlantis fritillaries.
When a butterfly senses food with its front legs, it reflexively unrolls its proboscis which it uses like a straw to suck up nectar. Atlantis fritillaries love common milkweed, as well as mints, laurels, crown vetch, daisies and spirea. These wildflowers love them, too, depending on butterflies (and bees) to transfer pollen from blossom to blossom. It’s impossible for a butterfly to avoid getting dusted with pollen as they poke into each flower.
Atlantis fritillaries pollinate a lot of flowers. They range from southern Canada to West Virginia and as far west as the Front Range of the Rockies, winging around meadows, pastures and bogs. The ones in the meadow by the cabin seemed oblivious to my presence, concerned only with gorging themselves on milkweed nectar. I was happy for the chance to watch them.