Common Wood-Nymph

Fascinating facts about the Common Wood-Nymph

• The common wood-nymph stretches from a modest 5.3 cm up to 7.3 cm across, giving it a wingspan of 2.1 to 2.9 in. Its forewing bases hide tiny ears that tune into sounds below 5 kHz. Every adult is brown and bears two eyespots on each forewing, the lower spot usually larger than the upper.
• From the Atlantic shores of Nova Scotia and Quebec, across the prairies to northern British Columbia, and down to northern California, Texas and Florida, the common wood-nymph occupies a continent-spanning belt. It thrives in open woodlands, edges, fields, pastur es, wet meadows, prairies, salt marshes and savannas.
• When feeding, adults sip nectar, tree sap and even decaying matter, visiting a menu that includes butterfly weed, Canada thistle, bull thistle, wild carrot, teasel, wild bergamot, Virginia mountain mint, black-eyed susan, red clover and tall ironweed.
• Adults take to the air from mid-May through early October in the east, but in California and Arizona they appear only from late June to early July. Across its entire range the species produces just one brood each year.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Common Wood-Nymph

As the Common Wood-Nymph dances through the dappled woodland, its delicate wings beat in a hypnotic rhythm, weaving a subtle spell of wonder amidst the rustling underbrush. With each gentle flutter, the butterfly's earthy tones seem to blend seamlessly with the forest floor, as if it were a fleck of fallen leaf come to life, drifting effortlessly on the whispers of the breeze. In this ephemeral waltz, the Wood-Nymph embodies the very essence of the woodland's quiet magic, a fleeting yet unforgettable presence that haunts the shade.

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