Greensboro Birds

Common wood-nymphs lay their eggs at the end of summer

This common wood nymph butterfly is a lifer for me in my relatively short history of identifying butterflies. This one appeared by the rose of Sharon, dabbling in the moist mulch at the shrub’s base. As soon as I saw its overall brown pattern with those cream splotches, I knew it was something new. According to my trusty copy of National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States, it’s in the brushfoot family, like the buckeye and pearly eye, among others, and shares the “eye” markings on the wings.

Common wood nymphs can be found in grassy meadows and open woodlands

Common wood nymphs feed on many grasses, including beardgrass, bluestem, oat grass, tall red-top grass, purple-top, and others. We have a few of those varieties growing around our garden and woods. You can find a nice image of its bright-green caterpillar form and more info about its life cycle on page 135 of Caterpillars of Eastern North America.