Where’s Wildlife · Butterfly Field Guide
Cercyonis pegala
Pronounced (approx.): ser-see-OH-niss PEG-uh-luh
A brown grassland butterfly with conspicuous eyespots and a dipping flight.
Select the photograph to browse all 4 field photographs.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Two large eyespots mark each forewing. The yellow patch around them varies geographically and may be small or absent inland. Smaller underside hindwing eyespots also vary. [1]
Explore these 4 field photographs. Select any image to open the gallery.
Females lay individual eggs on host leaves late in the season. Newly hatched caterpillars spend winter without feeding and begin eating in spring. [1]
Despite its name, this butterfly uses open, grassy places. Males search through vegetation with a dipping flight. There is one generation annually. [1]
Explore reported Common Wood-nymph sightings. Observation records show where people have documented butterflies and are not a complete range map.
[1] Butterflies and Moths of North America — Common Wood-nymph
Identification, habitat, host plants, feeding, and life history.