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Crescents (genus Phyciodes)
Crescents, along with Ladies, Checkerspots, Buckeyes, and Anglewings, are members of the "True" Brushfoot (Nymphalinae) sub-family.
Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)
Phaon Crescents are mainly Deep South butterflies. Fortunately, the Deep South climatic zone includes a narrow sliver of land on the southern North Carolina coast, and apparently they sometimes find their way to the Piedmont area.
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| Phaon Crescent, Ft. Fisher Basin Trail, New Hanover County, NC, 4/27/05 | Phaon Crescent, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/21/06 | Same Phaon Crescent |
Mystery Crescent
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| Unusual Crescent! It looks somewhat like a Silvery Checkerspot. I'on Swamp, Francis Marion National Forest, Charleston County, SC, 3/29/06. © 2006 Dorothy E. Pugh. All rights reserved. |
Pearl Crescents (Phyciodes tharos)
There are large regional and seasonal variations in Pearl Crescent wing patterns. If you go far enough out of your way, you might find some isolated populations that look different. There's a lot of speculation about how this affects speciation, but I'm just presenting what I've seen here.
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| Courting Pearl Crescents, Duke Gardens, 9/18/05. Male on top, female on bottom. | Mating Pearl Crescents, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/29/06 |
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| 4/22/04. Emerging from a chrysalis. |
Male Pearl Crescent ventral views
Female Pearl Crescent ventral views
Pigmentation is lighter in the warmer months. Note the 8/29/05 Boone Pearl Crescent, which looked very similar to the 10/6/05 Dare County Pearl Crescent.
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| Pearl Crescent, Duke Gardens, 9/17/05 | Pearl Crescent, Raulston Arboretum, Wake County, NC, 9/23/05 | Pearl Crescent, Dare County, NC, 10/6/05. | Pearl Crescent, Durham, 10/19/03 |
© Copyright 2005 Dorothy E. Pugh