[3][4] S. mormonia is found throughout western North America, with significant populations in both the United States and Canada.

[3][5][6] S. mormonia is a wide-ranging species compared to other Speyeria, and exhibits high genetic variability as a result.

[6] S. mormonia occupy a wide range of habitats, including rocky mountainsides, saturated meadows, open grasslands, and clearings within pine forests.

For example, the Canadian subspecies erinna exists at isolated sites, while the Colorado population showed high dispersal between sub-sites.

[4] Violets flower before the peak flight season, meaning that its function as an adult nectar source is limited.

[4] Adult feeding also takes place at mud puddles, specifically by males and older females, and on nectar from Compositae plants.

They reabsorb unlaid oocytes to supply sufficient nutrients for their own survival, decreasing their overall fecundity and reproductive success.

An older female who has only mated once or twice may have exhausted her sodium supply, and so turns to puddling to refresh her nutrient stores.

This bias has several implications, including high variance in male reproductive success, and the need for larval-derived nutrients for females.

If females do have the opportunity to mate multiply, they can derive the bulk of their nutrients from nuptial gifts, and thereby reduce their need to forage for nectar.

Their wings are orange with small black patches, excepting the ventral hindwing, which has a green tinge accented by light silver streaks.

These silver streaks vary between subspecies, with some possessing a reflective quality, and others appearing chalk white.

Although they have different peaks, both males and females conclude their flight period at the same time, towards the end of August and into early September.