Butterflies of North Carolina:
their Distribution and Abundance
Common Name: Scientific Name:
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Scientific Name begins with:
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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.
Related Species in NYMPHALIDAE:
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Common NameCommon Wood-Nymph by Roger Rittmaster => Durham Co.
[View PDF]
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Scientific NameCercyonis pegala
Link to BAMONA species account.
MapClick on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.
DistributionDISTRIBUTION: Statewide, probably occurring in all NC counties. Still lacking a number of records for the Coastal Plain, though presumed to occur in all of them.
AbundanceABUNDANCE: Locally common to very common in the northern Mountains, but mostly uncommon (to locally fairly common) elsewhere in the state. Can be numerous on the Outer Banks. Seems quite scarce in many counties, despite this being considered a common butterfly in the Eastern United States.
FlightFLIGHT PERIOD: A single, long brood; continuous presence in NC from the end of May or early June to late October. However, many individuals apparently estivate for awhile in midsummer, especially in August when a clear drop in numbers is evident. Evidence of the "single-broodedness" of the species can be seen in fall, when individuals are quite faded, and the ochre forewing band is often worn to a white color. This is one of the latest of the common butterflies to appear each year, usually not being numerous until late June.
HabitatHABITAT: Quite varied; it occurs in more open areas than most of the satyrs, ranging from dunes, savannas, wooded edges, old fields, powerline clearings, and many other semi-open areas. It is not usually seen in woodland interiors, nor is it typical of cultivated fields or gardens. In the Mountains, the species can be quite numerous in meadows, where the adults are not in evidence until flushed nearly underfoot.
See also Habitat Account for General Successional and Semi-Natural Grasslands
PlantsFOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Foodplants are grasses. The species seldom nectars; adult foods are those typical of satyrs, pearly-eyes, etc. -- sap, animal droppings, moisture, etc.
CommentsCOMMENTS: This is a frequently seen butterfly near maritime thickets, brackish marsh edges, savannas, and other semi-open places in the lower Coastal Plain. They range well into the Mountains, where seen over 4000 feet in elevation. Some meadows in Ashe and Alleghany counties teem with this species, and a remarkable one-day count of 400 was made in the latter county in 2004.
State RankS5
State Status
Global RankG5
Federal Status
Synonym
Other Name

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Common Wood-Nymph
Photo by: Betty Anderson
Comment: W.B. Umstead State Park, Wake Co.; 2003-July-09
Common Wood-Nymph - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Comment: Drake-Ellis Rd., Warren Co., 2008-July-16
Common Wood-Nymph - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Comment: Drake-Ellis Rd., Warren Co., 2008-July-16
Common Wood-Nymph - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Comment: Drake-Ellis Rd., Warren Co., 2006-Sep-06. Notice variation in fore-wing and hind-wing eye spots in the two previous photos taken by Paul Scharf.
Common Wood-Nymph - Click to enlarge