Pearl Crescent

The pearl crescent can be found throughout North America

This incredible looking butterfly is a pearl crescent. I photographed it while hiking at Eagle Creek Park. This particular butterfly species was in abundance on the trail that I was hiking on, but it was no easy feat photographing it. These butterflies move from flower to flower very quickly. It took a great deal of patience, waiting at the next most likely flower that it would land on. After about 10 minutes and 25 photos I finally had one that was clear enough.

Monarch

The pearl crescent can be found throughout North America. In the United States it is found everywhere except the West Coast. They can also be found throughout Mexico and in southern Canada. This species of butterfly enjoys open pastures the edges of roads vacant lots, fields, and open pine forests. If an area has aster flowers, you are likely to find a pearl crescent nearby.

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The pearl crescent is known for the dark marginal patch on the underside of the hind wing, which contains a light-colored crescent. It is predominantly orange in color with black borders and markings throughout. These are rather small butterflies with a maximum wingspan of 34 mm. There is great variability in the patterns that the pro crescent exhibits. Males and females can have different patterns. There are also variations in the pattern based on time of year. The nudum, or club-like ending of the antenna, portion of the antenna is black in males, but for females it is orange.

Butterfly

When the female pearl crescent goes to lay eggs, it will sit for about 30 minutes on an aster leaf to lay the eggs. The eggs are small and pale white to green and are laid in a tight grouping. When the larvae initially hatch, they will stay together and eat in a group depending on which time of year the eggs hatch, they will either form into a chrysalis or they will wait in a diapause state until spring.