Pearl Crescent

Here's a Pearl Crescent butterfly I saw hiding in the grass, perhaps also catching some rays. Though I consider them fairly small butterflies, they usually tower over Eastern Tailed-blues, and Spring and Summer Azures.

These guys would be a very tough ID if their Northern Crescent cousins lived down here. The 2 butterflies look quite similar, especially when individual variation is considered, but the Northern Crescent would be a bit out of range for the places I go. Somewhat surprisingly, these 2 butterflies generally don't hybridize where their ranges overlap, even though to us they look awfully similar.

Another similar butterfly is the Silvery Checkerspot. Though my field guides suggest they could be in my area, the NJ chapter of the North American Butterfly Association's webpage doesn't mention them. Besides possibly being outside my area, the Silvery Checkerspot is a somewhat larger butterfly; I suspect the size alone would alert me that it's not a Pearl Crescent (if I ever encountered one).

July 22, 2021 at Fairview Farm
Photo 148400052, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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