Size:
Wingspan is 1 5/8 - 2 1/8 inches.

Similar Species:
Northern Pearly-eye
Creole Pearly-eye

Habitat:
Bottomlands in shady areas with Cane nearby. Partly shaded trails or roads along bay forests or wet maritime forests.

Range/Abundance:
In NC and SC it is fairly common in the southern coastal plain and uncommon in the southern and central piedmont. In VA it's found in the southeastern corner of the state and the eastern shore. Not recorded in WV.

Flight Period:
Adults fly from mid April until mid October in two to three broods with gaps between broods.

Larval Host Plants:
Cane Arundinaria

Comments:
This species can be hard to find without searching in or along cane thickets. They will perch on gravel roads, trail sides and tree trunks. Also they like mud, rotten fruit and carrion, they do not visit flowers.

Pearly-eyes can be difficult to tell apart in some cases. At the edge of the coastal plain and piedmont you might encounter all three species of pearly-eye. In the coastal plain you can encounter both Creole and Southern Pearly-eyes in the same habitat.

Notice the antennal club Southern Pearly-eye always have completely orange antennal clubs. Northern Pearly-eye always has black before the tip and a pale tip.


The top photo was taken in Jones Co., NC during May of 2000. The second photo was taken in the Great Dismal Swamp along the George Washington Ditch in Suffolk, VA on September 15, 2002. The bottom photo was taken in Moore Co., NC on September 13, 2003.

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