Bug FAQCommon Wood-Nymph
Cercyonis pegala · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
It lives in many open habitats across much of North America, feeds on nectar, tree sap and decaying matter, and has one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
In the southeastern part of its range, the forewings have a large yellow patch on both sides.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on nectar, tree sap and decaying matter.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The first-instar caterpillar hibernates. There is one brood per year throughout its range.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In the eastern part of its range it flies from mid-May to early October. In California and Arizona it appears from late June to early July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 49 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Illinois, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, California, New York.
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
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_wood-nymph
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.