Pearl Crescent butterfly – 5/21/14

Observer: Paul Lauenstein

Observation Date: 5/21/14

Observation Time: 1:50 p.m.

Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam

Common Name: Pearl Crescent butterfly

Scientific Name: Phyciodes tharos

Comments: Adults find nectar from a great variety of flowers including dogbane, swamp milkweed, shepherd’s needle, asters, and winter cress. Males patrol open areas for females. The eggs are laid in small batches on the underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars eat the leaves and are gregarious when young. Hibernation is by third-stage caterpillars.

More Information: Butterflies and Moths of North America