Uhler’s Arctic
(Oeneis uhleri)
Satyrs and Wood-nymphs
Appearance: Above, pale brown to rich orange-brown with dark veins and several submarginal eyespots on both wings. Below, brown and light buff striations and one to many small submarginal spots on both wings, which are sometimes reduced or absent. Resembles Chryxus Arctic but does not have post median line or ‘bird beak’ on underside of forewing.
Wingspan: Medium; 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
Habitat: Pine forest openings, dry and grassy meadows, grassy subalpine slopes and tundra.
Flight Times: May to July; one brood.
Larval Foodplant: Grasses and sedges.
Did You Know…
“Uhler’s tends to flutter in a hovering fashion over some fixed point on a grassy slope, while the Chryxus flits from spot to spot, seldom flying for long at any time” (Pyle, 1981). To find females, males perch and occasionally patrol below ridge crests in bunchgrass habitat. Females lay eggs singly on grasses and sedges. Fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate, emerge in the spring to feed again, and pupate just under the soil.
