Bug FAQAppalachian Brown
Lethe appalachia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The Appalachian brown has a wingspan of about 39 to 51 mm. It lives in North America. Its larvae feed on the sedges Rhynchospora inundata, Carex lacustris and Carex stricta.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 39 to 51 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat Rhynchospora inundata, Carex lacustris and Carex stricta.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Similar species include Lethe eurydice (eyed brown). Also resembles Lethe anthedon (northern pearly-eye).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Virginia, Vermont, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars of the Appalachian brown eat?
They feed on the sedges Rhynchospora inundata, Carex lacustris and Carex stricta.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethe_appalachia
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.