Small Wood-Nymph
Cercyonis oetus (Boisduval, 1869)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Satyrinae
Identification: Wings are light to very dark brown; wing fringes are checkered. Upperside of forewing usually has 1 eyespot in the male, 2 eyespots in the female; upper eyespot is larger. Underside of forewing of both sexes has lower eyespot smaller and nearer to the wing edge than the upper eyespot.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.5 cm).
Life History: Males patrol all day for females, who deposit eggs singly on the host plant. First-stage caterpillars hibernate unfed until the following spring.
Flight: One brood from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Unknown grasses.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Dry chaparral, sagebrush, grasslands, scrub, open woodland, meadows.
Range: British Columbia east to southern Saskatchewan and western North Dakota; south to eastern California, Nevada, central Arizona, and New Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 557 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 10, 2025
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Jefferson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 12, 2025
Observation date: Jul 07, 2025
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 05, 1986
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 31, 2025
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: jthompson6112
Region: Blaine County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Aug 05, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 13, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 29, 2024
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 23, 2024
Observation date: Aug 02, 2024
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 30, 2024
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: JudyLY
Region: Otero County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: Thomas J. Ryder
Region: Fremont County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 17, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2021
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Ouray County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 23, 2022
Submitted by: Beth Polvino
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 05, 2023
Observation date: Jun 25, 2017
Submitted by: lyssbird
Region: Box Elder County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2017
Submitted by: DonDeCamp
Region: Uintah County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: dingoqueen
Region: Box Elder County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Jul 09, 2020
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 24, 2023
Observation date: Aug 10, 2023
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2023
Observation date: Jul 21, 2023
Submitted by: anithompson
Region: Apache County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 04, 2023
Observation date: Jul 31, 2023
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 01, 2023
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