Bug FAQSmall Wood-Nymph
Cercyonis oetus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The small wood-nymph has a wingspan of about 32 to 45 mm. It lives in western North America and the caterpillars feed on various grasses. Adults are on the wing from June through August, producing one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 32 to 45 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on a variety of grasses.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults appear from June to August and there is one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on wing during June-August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercyonis_oetus
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.