Common Wood-Nymph
Encyclopedia
The Common Wood-nymph is a North American
butterfly
in the family Nymphalidae
. It is also known as the Wood-nymph, Grayling, Blue-eyed Grayling, and the Goggle Eye.
, the lower one often being larger than the upper one. Some may have many, few, or no eyespots on the ventral surface of the hind wing. In the southeastern part of its range, it has a large yellow patch on both surfaces of the fore wing. In the western part of its range, it may have a pale yellow patch or may be lacking one. Individuals in the northeastern also lack the yellow patch, i.e., C. p. nephele. In individuals with no yellow patch, there are two pale yellow eye rings that encircle both the fore wing eyespots. The wingspan
measures 5.3 to 7.3 cm (2.1 to 2.9 in).
) and the Small Wood-nymph (Cercyonis oetus
) are smaller, and the lower fore wing eyespot is smaller than the upper one. Mead's Wood-nymph (Cercyonis meadii) has a bright red-orange area on the ventral fore wing.
and Quebec
west to northern British Columbia
south to northern California
southeast to Texas
and east to northern Florida
.
s, woodland edges, fields, pasture
s, wet meadow
s, prairie
s, salt marsh
es, and savannas.
. It has 1 brood per year throughout its entire range.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the family Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
. It is also known as the Wood-nymph, Grayling, Blue-eyed Grayling, and the Goggle Eye.
Description
The Common Wood-nymph can vary greatly. All individuals are brown with two fore wing eyespotsEyespot (mimicry)
An eyespot is an eye-like marking. They are found on butterflies, reptiles, birds and fish. In members of the Felidae family , the white circular markings on the backs of the ears are termed ocelli, and they are functionally similar to eyespots in other animals.Eyespots may be a form of...
, the lower one often being larger than the upper one. Some may have many, few, or no eyespots on the ventral surface of the hind wing. In the southeastern part of its range, it has a large yellow patch on both surfaces of the fore wing. In the western part of its range, it may have a pale yellow patch or may be lacking one. Individuals in the northeastern also lack the yellow patch, i.e., C. p. nephele. In individuals with no yellow patch, there are two pale yellow eye rings that encircle both the fore wing eyespots. The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
measures 5.3 to 7.3 cm (2.1 to 2.9 in).
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognised:- Cercyonis pegala abbotti (Brown, 1969)
- Cercyonis pegala alope (Fabricius, 1793) – Texas
- Cercyonis pegala ariane (Boisduval, 1852) – Oregon, Utah
- Cercyonis pegala blanca (Emmel & Mattoon, 1972)
- Cercyonis pegala boopis (Behr, 1864) – British Columbia
- Cercyonis pegala damei (Barnes & Benjamin, 1926)
- Cercyonis pegala ino (Hall, 1924) – prairies
- Cercyonis pegala nephele (Kirby, 1837) – northern Canada and US
- Cercyonis pegala olympus (Edwards, 1880)
- Cercyonis pegala pegala (Fabricius, 1775) - eastern US
- Cercyonis pegala stephensi (Wright, 1905)
- Cercyonis pegala texana (Edwards, 1880) – Texas
- Cercyonis pegala wheeleri (Edwards, 1873)
Similar species
In the western part of the Common Wood-nymph's range, there are a couple similar species. The Great Basin Wood-nymph (Cercyonis stheneleCercyonis sthenele
The Great Basin Wood-nymph is a North American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.- Description :Dark brown with two eyespots on the forewing with the upper larger than the lower....
) and the Small Wood-nymph (Cercyonis oetus
Cercyonis oetus
The Small Wood-nymph or Dark Wood-nymph is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Eastern North America.The wingspan is 32–45 mm...
) are smaller, and the lower fore wing eyespot is smaller than the upper one. Mead's Wood-nymph (Cercyonis meadii) has a bright red-orange area on the ventral fore wing.
Range and distribution
The Common Wood-nymph ranges from Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
west to northern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
south to northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
southeast to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and east to northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Habitat
The Common Wood-nymph is found in a variety of open habitats, such as open woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, woodland edges, fields, pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
s, wet meadow
Wet meadow
A wet meadow is a semi-wetland meadow which is saturated with water throughout much of the year. Wet meadows may occur because of poor drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from rain or melted snow. They may also occur in riparian zones....
s, prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
s, salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, and savannas.
Flight period
The Common Wood-nymph is found from mid-May to early October in the eastern part of its range. It is found from late June to early July in California and ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. It has 1 brood per year throughout its entire range.
Adult food sources
The Common Wood-nymph feeds on nectar, tree sap, and decaying matters. Some of the plants it nectars on include:- Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed
- Cirsium arvenseCirsium arvenseCirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle.-Alternate names:...
– Canada Thistle - Cirsium vulgareCirsium vulgareCirsium vulgare is a species of the genus Cirsium, native throughout most of Europe , western Asia , and northwestern Africa...
– Bull Thistle - Daucus carota – Wild Carrot
- Dipsacus sylvestris - Teasel
- Monarda fistulosaMonarda fistulosaWild bergamot or Bee Balm is a wildflower in the mint family widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America. This plant, with showy summer-blooming white flowers, is often used as a honey plant, medicinal plant, and garden ornamental...
– Wild Bergamot - Pycnanthemum virginianumPycnanthemum virginianumPycnanthemum virginianum is a plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is a herbaceous plant with narrow, opposite, simple leaves, on wiry, green stems. The flowers are white with purplish spotting, borne in summer. Like most plants in the genus, the foliage has a strong mint fragrance when crushed...
– Virginia Mountain Mint - Rudbeckia hirtaRudbeckia hirtaRudbeckia hirta, the Black-eyed Susan, with the other common names of: Brown-eyed Susan, Brown Betty, Brown Daisy , Gloriosa Daisy, Golden Jerusalem, Poorland Daisy, Yellow Daisy, and Yellow Ox-eye Daisy. It is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae...
– Black-eyed Susan - Trifolium pratense – Red Clover
- Vernonia gigantea – Tall Ironweed
Life cycle
The female Common Wood-nymph is the active flight partner. The female lays her eggs on or near the host plant. The egg is pale yellow, later turning to a tan color with orange or pink blotches. The caterpillar makes no shelters or nests. It is green or yellowish-green with darker green stripes that run the length of the body. It has two short pinkish projections on the end of the abdomen. It has yellow spiracles and is covered in thin, white hairs. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 cm (2 in). The Common Wood-nymph caterpillar is very similar to satyr caterpillars in the genera Hermeuptychia, Cyllopsis, and Neonympha. It can be separateed by its larger size and habitat. The pale green chrysalis is striped in white or pale yellow. The first instar caterpillar hibernates.Host plants
Here is a list of host plants used by the Common Wood-nymph:- AndropogonAndropogonAndropogon is a genus of grasses. Andropogon gerardii, big bluestem, is the official state grass of Illinois.Broomsedge is found along the eastern United States...
sp. – beard grasses - Danthonia spicata – Poverty Oatgrass
- Poa pratensis – Kentucky Bluegrass
- SchizachyriumSchizachyriumSchizachyrium is a genus of grasses in the Poaceae family. The name is derived from the Greek words σχίζειν , meaning "to split," and ἄχυρον , meaning "chaff." It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas. Members of the genus are commonly known as bluestems.-Selected species:-External links:*...
sp. – bluestems - Tridens flavus – Purple top