In July, you might get these two closely related, brown butterflies mixed up, especially if you see them from the upper side.
Which of the butterflies below is a Northern Pearly-eye?
- Left
- Right
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The butterfly on the right is the Northern Pearly-eye. The butterfly on the left is an Eyed Brown.
The Northern Pearly-eye has bolder spots that mark their upper side and the four spots on their fore wing tend to all appear at different intensities. The Eyed Brown has weaker spots and the two lower spots on their forewing tend to be the same intensity.
While you may see both of these butterflies like wet areas, you are more likely to encounter a Northern Pearly-eye in deciduous forests and Eyed Brown in open meadows. Both fly most prominently in July - August. The Eyed Browns use sedges (Carex) as host plants, while the Northern Pearly-eye prefers various grasses but will use sedges in the north.
Photos by
Northern Pearly-Eye by Bruce Cook (iNaturalist)
Eyed Brown by Carter Dorscht (iNaturalist)
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