Gorgone Checkerspot 
Chlosyne gorgone

Gorgone Checkerspot in Georgia is a long story. It was discovered by John Abbot in 1810 in the xeric Turkey Oak sandhills of Burke County, south of Augusta. Since then, the species had only been found north of the Fall Line where it is rare, except for one lone record from Grady County in SW Georgia. Then, on April 27, 1993, the late Ron Gatrelle found Gorgone Checkerspot in the same habitat in Burke County described by Abbot. He has written extensively about his discovery in the International Lepidoptery Survey. The subspecies found in North Georgia is Chlosyne gorgone carlota, a subspecies that has two broods from mid-April to mid-May and mid-July to mid August north of Atlanta and early May to early June and late summer near Macon and Columbus. The hostplant is Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), and the habitat is open areas such as powerline cuts, burned areas, and roadsides near deciduous or mixed forest. The subspecies found by Gatrelle is C. g. gorgone that is univoltine with one brood in late April into early May. Its hostplant is Mouse-ear Coreopsis (Coreopsis auriculata). Records from the Mountain counties are mostly in May and June, with one record on July 18 (Rabun County). Records from Middle Georgia (Macon area) are mostly from May and early June. Early Date: April 17 (Fulton County); Late Date: 13 August (Grady County). Conservation status: Secure.