# Common Ringlet

*Coenonympha california*

Instead of flying high, they flutter just inches above the grass tips to stay hidden from hungry birds.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Coenonympha
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Grassy meadows, open hillsides, forest edges, and roadsides.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on flower nectar (especially composites); caterpillars feed on native grasses and sedges.
- **Range:** Western North America, Pacific Northwest, California
- **Size:** Wingspan of 32 to 45 mm
- **Lifespan:** 6 to 12 months (mostly spent as egg, larva, and pupa; adults live only 1 to 2 weeks)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat destruction from urban development, intensive mowing, and widespread pesticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless. Enjoy watching its bouncy flight from a close distance. Avoid touching its delicate wings, as losing wing scales can impair its ability to fly.

## About

Coenonympha california , also known as the California ringlet or common ringlet , is a species of butterfly native to North America. Although it has previously been considered a subspecies of Coenonympha tullia , genetic testing suggests it is a separate species. Larvae feed on grasses.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/114ec5a7-6c04-4012-8331-3fd7cc40154b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/69145
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenonympha california
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/3114385/medium.JPG (Nick Block, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.