Northern Pearly-eye
Lethe anthedon
Unlike most butterflies that seek sunny clearings, northern pearly-eyes actively avoid bright sunlight and remain deep in the forest understory even during the middle of the day.
- Scientific name
- Lethe anthedon
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Lethe
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Damp, shaded deciduous and mixed hardwood forests, bottomlands, wooded edges, and streamsides with dense understories of native woodland grasses.
- Diet
- Adults feed on tree sap, carrion, dung, damp soil minerals, and decaying fungi; larvae feed on woodland grasses such as cutgrass, bottlebrush grass, and false melic.
- Range
- Canada, United States
- Size
- Wingspan 43–67 mm
- Lifespan
- 2–4 weeks (adult stage)
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, extensive canopy clearing, and the spread of invasive non-native plant species that displace native host grasses.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Northern Pearly-eyes do not bite, sting, or carry dangerous toxins. Observers can approach slowly within a meter or two without causing alarm, though rapid movements will trigger rapid flight into the canopy. If an adult lands on bare skin to lap up mineral-rich sweat, allow it to feed or gently brush it away.
Lethe anthedon , the northern pearly-eye , is a species of alpines, arctics, nymphs and satyrs in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America.
Photo: christine123, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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