I was walking along one of the side roads at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, eyes peeled for frogs and dragonflies, when a delicate sight caught my attention: a Pearl Crescent butterfly perched gracefully on Johnson Grass.
Resting Pearl Crescent butterfly in Oklahoma – Canon R7, handheld, f9, 1/1000, ISO 800, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light
Pearl Crescents are common butterflies across most of the U.S., except for the west coast, and they show up in all kinds of open spots like road edges, pastures, old fields, and forest edges just like where I found this one.
Pearl Crescent butterfly patterns can vary a bit, which makes them a little more fun to figure out. The upperside is orange with black borders and fine black markings.
If you get a look at the underside of the hindwing, there’s usually a dark patch near the edge with a pale crescent shape inside. That’s where the name comes from.
Pearl Crescent butterflies nectar at a bunch of different wildflowers including swamp milkweed, dogbane, asters, and more.
Males cruise through open areas looking for females, and once the eggs are laid on the underside of aster leaves, the caterpillars hatch and feed together for a while. When cold weather hits, the young caterpillars hunker down and wait out the winter.
Sometimes nature hands you something quiet and worth stopping for, right when and where you least expect it.
Life is good.
Mia
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Cool oic and a very interesting narrative. Thanks Mia.