Bug FAQUhler's Arctic
Oeneis uhleri · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Rocky Mountain arctic
Uhler's Arctic is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. Its caterpillars feed on grasses such as Festuca, Koeleria and Poa. The fourth-instar larvae spend the winter as they develop and become active again in spring.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Oeneis uhleri, known as Uhler's Arctic, belongs to the butterfly family Nymphalidae.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat various grasses and sedges, including species of Festuca, Koeleria and Poa.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 11 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico.
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
What do the caterpillars of Uhler's Arctic eat?
They feed on grasses such as Festuca, Koeleria and Poa.
Source: Wikipedia
When do the larvae become active?
The fourth-instar larvae overwinter and come out in spring.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oeneis_uhleri
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.