Speyeria sp.

A fritillary butterfly on California Coneflower, Rudbeckia californica, at Crane Flat. The fritillaries are exceedingly difficult to identify. Many are similar or even identical in appearance; at times the only sure way to tell is to view a specimen's genitalia under magnification. I haven't ventured that far into extreme nerd-dom (yet) so I can't say what type this one is. Several species occur regularly in Yosemite, including the Great Basin, Mormon, Zerene, Hydaspe, Yuba, and Coronis Fritillaries.