Bug FAQRoss's Alpine
Erebia rossii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Ross' Alpine, Arctic Alpine Ringlet
Ross's alpine butterflies have a wingspan of about 31 to 44 mm. Males show two black eyespots with white centers on the forewings, sometimes ringed in orange, while females have two large eyespots and may have additional smaller spots. They live in Arctic regions of North America and northern Eurasia and their caterpillars feed on various grasses such as Carex.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper side of the wings is blackish-brown. Females have two large eyespots and may show smaller spots on both wings. The underside of the hindwing shows a greyish median band with jagged edges.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 31 to 44 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on various grasses, including species of Carex.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The caterpillars eat grasses such as Carex during development.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found in Arctic parts of North America and northern Eurasia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Ross's alpine belongs to the Satyrinae subfamily of the Nymphalidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alaska, Florida.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I recognize a male Ross's alpine?
Look for two black eyespots with white pupils on the forewing, sometimes surrounded by orange rings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does Ross's alpine live?
It occurs in Arctic regions of North America and northern Eurasia.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on various grasses, including Carex species.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erebia_rossii
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.