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This is one of the larger fritillaries, and one of four species that usually have a greenish underside (egleis, mormonia and callippe are the others). Edwardsii is much larger than mormonia, with a pointier forewing, and is darker brown-green below with smaller upperside black marks compared to callippe. It is slightly larger with a lighter upperside compared to egleis.

No life history information is available from Alberta. The eggs are yellow-green when laid, turning tan-coloured. Laid singly on or near the host plant. Larvae hatch and overwinter, with feeding beginning the following spring. Mature larvae are spiny and dark yellow dorsally with a black dorsal line and greyish sides (Scott 1986). Edwards' Fritillary apparently needs large tracts of native grassland, as it has disappeared from Manitoba altogether, and is absent from apparently suitable grasslands of smaller size in Saskatchewan (Layberry et al. 1998).