Bug FAQMitchell's Satyr
Neonympha mitchellii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Mitchell's satyr is a small brown butterfly with a wingspan of about 34 to 44 mm and plain upper wings. It lives in the eastern United States and its larvae can eat the invasive Japanese stilt grass.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The top side of each wing is unmarked, while the underside shows rows of round eyespots surrounded by yellow rings. The subspecies N. m. francisci is a bit darker and its eyespots are more irregular in shape.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Both subspecies have a wingspan ranging from 34 to 44 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
First-instar larvae are 3 to 4 mm long with dark brown, bilobed heads; later instars grow to 6 to 12 mm, have green bodies with white ridges, and retain bilobed heads.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Mitchell's satyr is an endangered nymphalid butterfly native to the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with the Carolina satyr, which also feeds on stilt grass and looks similar.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, New Jersey, Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas, Florida, Mississippi, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell Mitchell's satyr apart from similar butterflies?
Look for plain upper wings and rows of yellow-ringed eyespots underneath; the francisci form is darker with irregular eyespots, while the Carolina satyr is a common look-alike.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on the invasive Japanese stilt grass, Microstegium vimineum.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is Mitchell's satyr found?
It is native to the eastern United States and is considered endangered there.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonympha_mitchellii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.