The Common Wood Nymph butterfly blends seamlessly with tree bark and woody shrubs, making it well camouflaged in its habitat. It is easily recognized by the eye-like spots on its wings. Two yellow-ringed eyespots with gold centers appear on the upper portion of each forewing, and a smaller eyespot is often present on the lower portion of each hindwing.

 

“Common Wood-Nymph” by Cam Miller, licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Common Wood-Nymph Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Satyrinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 3/4 – 3 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Large, sunny, grassy areas including prairies, open meadows, bogs, and old fields

 

🪴 Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Fescue (Festuca spp.)

• Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata)

• Purpletop (Tridens flavus)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:

• Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

• Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

• Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)