Common Wood Nymph
(Cercyonis pegala)

This species is common from June through early September along wood margins and in open areas. It is frequently seen in the BFEC garden visiting purple coneflower. In Ohio there are subspecies of the Common Wood Nymph. The form C. pegala alope is found in Knox County. It is distinguished by the yellow patches on the forewing that surround the eye-spots. Where the distribution of the two subspecies overlap, the smaller more northern subspecies lacks the yellow patches and tends to frequent wet meadows and prairies while C. p. alope is in drier upland areas. The northern form is darker and lacks the yellow patches on the forewing.