Bug FAQPale Crescent
Phyciodes pallida · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The pale crescent butterfly has a wingspan of roughly 33 to 44 mm. It lives in western North America. Its caterpillars feed on thistles in the genus Cirsium, and adults fly in June in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The pale crescent, Phyciodes pallida, belongs to the butterfly family Nymphalidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures between 33 and 44 millimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits western parts of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on plants of the genus Cirsium.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are active and fly in June in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period occurs in June in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It may be mistaken for the Mylitta crescent (Phyciodes mylitta).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Utah, Colorado, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming.
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 other butterfly looks like the pale crescent?
It can be confused with the Mylitta crescent, Phyciodes mylitta.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyciodes_pallida
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.