House Joint Resolution 8 - Introduced HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 8 BY JONES HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION A Joint Resolution designating the regal fritillary as the 1 official state insect of the State of Iowa. 2 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is one of 3 Iowa’s largest native butterflies with a wingspan that can 4 exceed four inches; and 5 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary is one of temperate North 6 America’s most striking butterflies with forewings that are a 7 rich reddish orange with a number of irregularly shaped black 8 spots and a deep orange-brown border, and hind wings that are 9 a unique velvety, iridescent blue-black with cream and orange 10 spots; and 11 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary has statewide distribution, 12 making it possible for Iowans to see adults flying in summer 13 and early fall in association with native prairie habitats 14 including upland and wet prairies; and 15 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary is a univoltine species, 16 meaning it takes one year for a single brood to complete the 17 four stages of its life cycle; and 18 WHEREAS, in the fall the female regal fritillary may lay up 19 to two thousand eggs on the ground near the growing point of 20 their host plant; and 21 WHEREAS, soon after being laid the eggs hatch and the first 22 instar larvae eat only their eggshells before hibernating and 23 surviving the winter in their smallest form; and 24 WHEREAS, in spring when the prairie violets, bird’s-foot 25 violets, and other native violets begin to grow the larvae come 26 out of winter diapause or dormancy to have their first host 27 plant meal; and 28 WHEREAS, most butterfly larvae have five larval instars, 29 or growth stages, the regal fritillary is unique in that it 30 completes six instars before it makes a chrysalis; and 31 TLSB 1945YH (4) 88 js/rn

House Joint Resolution 8 - Introduced WHEREAS, the adults live one to three months and feed 32 on nectar, mostly from milkweeds, thistles, blazing stars, 33 coneflowers, and ironweeds; and 34 WHEREAS, although the historic range of the regal fritillary 35 covered the midwest, great plains, and the northeastern United 36 States, habitat losses east of the Mississippi river have 37 shifted its presence, placing Iowa in the core of its current 38 range; and 39 WHEREAS, as efforts are being made in the state to preserve 40 prairies and reestablish grassland habitats, the regal 41 fritillary is the perfect symbol to represent the prairie 42 heritage of Iowa, and the disappearance of this butterfly from 43 the state would be a tremendous loss; and 44 WHEREAS, the General Assembly supports efforts to designate 45 the regal fritillary as the state insect and raise awareness of 46 all native butterflies and insects in the state; NOW THEREFORE, 47 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 48 TLSB 1945YH (4) 88 js/rn

H.J.R. 8 Section 1. STATE INSECT DESIGNATED. The regal fritillary 1 (Speyeria idalia) is designated and shall be officially known 2 as the state insect of Iowa. 3 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATE REPRESENTATIONS. The director of 4 the department of cultural affairs shall obtain appropriate 5 pictures and other representations of the regal fritillary 6 and shall display the pictures and representations in an 7 appropriate place in the state historical museum. 8 Sec. 3. OFFICIAL REGISTER. The legislative services agency 9 shall include an appropriate picture and commentary of the 10 regal fritillary in the Iowa official register along with the 11 pictures of the state rock, state flower, state bird, and state 12 tree. 13 EXPLANATION 14 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 15 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 16 This joint resolution designates the regal fritillary as the 17 official state insect of Iowa. The director of the department 18 of cultural affairs is required to obtain pictures and other 19 appropriate representations of the regal fritillary and display 20 the pictures and information in the state historical museum. 21 The legislative services agency is required to include in the 22 Iowa official register a picture of the regal fritillary along 23 with pictures of the state rock, state bird, state tree, and 24 state flower. 25 -1- LSB 1945YH (4) 88 js/rn 1/ 1