Less Is More In The Butterfly World The northern pearly eye butterfly. A small, rather inconspicuous butterfly of mid-summer, the northern pearly eye, could serve as a good example for the saying of a Danish entomologist of the late 18th century, Johann Fabricius. He said, "Natura maxime miranda in minimis," which means, nature is most to be admired in those works which are least. Charlotte has been placing orange halves on our bird-feeding platforms since late May, filled with grape jelly in recent weeks especially for the Baltimore orioles as well as the red-bellied woodpeckers. Now veritable swarms of northern pearly eye butterflies have discovered the treat and have been feasting there from early morning until nearly dark. This morning I estimated at least 30 of the flighty little creatures there. The northern pearly eye’s soft brown color is highlighted with tiny eyespots called ocelli (o-CELL-eye). Try to catch one of these butterflies whose flight, usually near the ground, appears to be weak and jerky and you are in for a surprise. Suddenly it will dance and bob and weave its way through the shrubs and tall grass, easily escaping your most energetic attempts to capture it. While at rest its brighter colored rear wings are sometimes folded between the less conspicuous forewings. Its small one-jointed front legs are frequently held against the thorax and not seen. Food for the tapered light green caterpillars could not be much more common and abundant – grasses and sedges. A blue jay landed on one of the platform feeders early this morning sending the butterflies into a swirling mass around the bird’s head. Apparently this unusual distraction unnerved the jay into leaving, making us wish for more and more butterflies. One could look at butterflies in general as winged flowers, radiant wings with golden freckles, lazily flying, fluttering, frolicking, basking in the sunshine, the perfect examples of peacefulness and tranquility. In my estimation they furnish the ideal vehicle for learning about and experiencing the natural summer world around us. There is a large family of butterflies called the Satyridae (sa-TIR-i-dee) that includes four species found throughout much of our state. I’ve already mentioned the northern pearly eye. The other three are the eyed brown, common or clouded wood-nymph, and the little wood satyr. Unlike quite a few of the other butterfly species, these small wood-nymphs and satyrs are not adorned with bright colors and patterns. They appear to be generally dull in color and quite somber to the eye until you look more closely at them to distinguish their intriguing ocelli. Even though individual species can vary quite a bit, they do have rather clear-cut but challenging characteristics that aid in identification. I just returned from moving the sprinkler in the garden to a new location and noticed an adult female monarch butterfly feasting on the nectar of a common milkweed blossom. Just inches below the monarch was a half-grown monarch caterpillar eating its fill on one of the milkweed leaves while within inches away perched an eyed brown butterfly, quietly basking in the sunlight. It is only on rare occasions that I’ve observed this species on our property. Unlike its other three relatives in Wisconsin, the eyed brown is not the swift, dodging, wary flier and is quite easily caught in a net. It is also more likely to visit flowers for nectar than the other three species. You are most likely to find this butterfly in swamps and marshes. It is along the edges of meadows or in rather open woods where sunlight is likely to reach the ground that you’ll encounter the largest of the wood-nymphs, the common or clouded wood-nymph. The wing span of the darker males averages around one and three-quarters inches and the eyespots on their forewings are smaller than those on the females’ forewings. The lighter-colored females can be over two inches wide from wing- tip to wing-tip. Here too is a butterfly that resists being caught in a net. One minute you see a dozen or more flitting about in the filtered sunshine, and then you make a quick move toward them and every one of them magically disappears within seconds. What’s fascinating about their life cycle is that, once the eggs hatch, the tiny larvae immediately hibernate and will not reappear until the following spring when their primary host plants, the grasses, begin to emerge. Within a month the larvae are fully grown and ready to pupate. If all goes well, soon the surrounding woods and meadows will be liberally decorated with these gentle creatures. Challenge yourself to learn to identify the little somber-colored satyrs and wood-nymphs. Prepare to sharpen your powers of observation, to learn more about the native plants many butterflies prefer or need. Surely you will absorb and enjoy new and exciting observational experiences and will feel ever increasingly that you are a genuine partner in nature with other creatures large and small. This column appeared in the Door County Advocate on 07/27/2001. © Copyright 2001 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.