Great spangled fritillaries don't occur here, so I've never seen one in person, but the description and pictures in my field guide match your picture. Aphrodite frits are the most like GSFs, but they have a dark band on the forewing, yours has the paler band like a GSF. Whatever, it's a beautiful butterfly!

Sherry

The two major keys to ID are either obscured or at a difficult angle in the above image.

Underside... don't have a better shot from above

im in NE Atlanta, border of where these occur from what I can tell

Congrats, congrats. What a lovely butterfly.

Now I need to allow the wild violets to grow! I've been killing them as they spread so much but I've just read this is the only plant this butterfly uses as a host! Oh my, rotting leaves and now, wild violets! :-)

Mary

That second image clearly makes it a GSF.

I have an abundance of violets which I don't mow. Can someone ID this matching pair, I think it is GSF, I'm in Maryland.