Leonard Weber

April 11, 2023

Common Wood-Nymph is in the same family as Little Wood-Satyr, # 6 in this series. They are present sequentially in Eliza Howell Park. Little Wood-Satyr is seen in May and June; Common Wood-Nymph is present from late June until late August.

Common Wood-Nymph has a wingspan of about 2 and 1/2 inches. It has two quite large eyespots on the forewings and often has several noticeable small eyespots on the hindwings

It usually has the wings closed when nectaring.

Common Wood-Nymph is called “common” because its range is widespread while the other three species of wood-nymph have limited ranges in the western states.

There is just one brood a year. The caterpillars, which feed on grasses, hibernate for the winter and finish growing in the spring.

Common Wood-Nymph is not glamorous or showy, but it is a regular — and very welcome — presence in the park each year beginning in late June.