# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/9a363ec9-48c3-498b-bb45-ffead0a99c16
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/198812
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethe anthedon
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/7824084/medium.jpg (christine123, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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