Common Wood-Nymph
(Cercyonis pegala)
Satyrs and Wood-nymphs
Appearance: Below, overall soft brown with a dark broken striated pattern and two equally large yellow-ringed black eyespots at tip of forewing. Hindwing below shows a row of similar, but much smaller eyespots. Above, brown with some small eyespots possible.
Wingspan: Medium; 1 3/4 to 2 5/8 inches.
Habitat: Moist grasslands, prairies, hillsides, open meadows and woodlands; plains, foothills, montane.
Flight Times: Late May to mid-September; one brood.
Larval Foodplant: A variety of grasses (Poaceae).
Did You Know…
Males patrol for females with a dipping flight through the vegetation. In late summer, females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves. Caterpillars hatch but do not feed, instead hibernating until spring. A geographically variable species with at least two distinct populations occurring in the east and the northeast/west. The eastern population differs from ours in that they show a prominent yellow forewing patch centered on the large eyespots.
