Pearl Crescent
Phyciodes tharos
Summary
Pearl Crescents acquired their name because of a small pearly-white, crescent-shaped marking that occurs on the underside of their hindwing.
Abundant throughout Pennsylvania
Erratic flight pattern; they tend to fly low, staying near the ground, alternating between gliding and flapping their wings.
The pearl crescent is often confused with the similar looking northern crescent and tawny crescent. In terms of relative size, pearl crescents are comparatively smaller within the family of Nymphalidae. The male butterfly courts the female with a unique “dance” in the air. This “dance” includes a series of fast-flying coupled with short hovering pauses. It’s captivating and serves as visual cues to the female butterfly.
Throughout spring and summer, one generation follows another, but as winter approaches, partially grown caterpillars stop eating and find shelter in a curled leaf. There they remain in diapause until spring, when eating resumes.
Pearl Crescent Butterfly: Identification, Life Cycle, and Behavior
https://alabama.butterflyatlas.usf.edu/species/details/116/pearl-crescent
More Details
FAMILY
Nymphalidae (Brushfoots)
IDENTIFICATION
Average Wingspan: 1.25-1.5 inches Sexual Dimorphism: Males have a knob at the tip of their antenna. Females are darker in color than males. When unfolded, the upper side of the wings is orange with black markings and margins.
HABITAT
Open areas such as pastures, road edges, vacant lots, fields, open pine woods.
LIFE CYCLE
Egg: Tiny. Pale whitish-green. Laid in clusters on the underside of host plant leaves Caterpillar: Dark brown to charcoal gray with lateral cream stripes and many short, branched spines. Larvae feed gregariously through several stages. Become more solitary as they mature. Third instar caterpillars overwinter. Chrysalis: Mottled brown, tan,or gray brown.
HOST PLANTS
Several species of smooth-leaved true asters.
Ecosystem Connections
Despite their widespread distribution, Pearl Crescent butterflies face several threats. Habitat loss is a significant factor that’s impacting their populations.The alteration or loss of their food resource – the native Aster plant – can impact their survival and reproduction rates.
Habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, and climate change are the primary threats faced by Pearl Crescent butterfly populations.
Butterflies and moths are an important part of the food web, providing food for many other wildlife species.
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