Bug FAQMelissa Arctic
Oeneis melissa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The Melissa Arctic is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. Its wingspan ranges from about 42 to 51 mm. Caterpillars feed on sedges such as Carex bigelowii and Carex rupestris.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is 42 to 51 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It belongs to the butterfly species Oeneis melissa in the family Nymphalidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alaska, Colorado, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, Maine.
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/Oeneis_melissa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.