Lethe anthedon, the northern pearly-eye, is a species of butterfly in the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America, from central Saskatchewan and eastern Nebraska east to Nova Scotia, south to central Alabama and Mississippi.Enodia anthedon, Butterflies and Moths of North America
Description The wingspan is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches (43–67 mm.)Northern Pearly-eye, Butterflies of Canada The upperside is brown with dark eyespots and the underside is brown. Adults feed on dung, fungi, carrion and sap from willows, poplars, and birches.
The larvae feed on various grasses, including Leersia virginica, Erianthus species, Muhlenbergia species, bearded shortgrass (Brachyelytrum erectum), Chasmanthium latifolium, bottlebrush grass (Hystrix patula), and false melic grass (Schizachne purpurascens). The host plants of a northern population include sedges (Carex species).Larval host plants of Enodia anthedon ... , The Taxonomic Report, Vol 7 No 6, 2014.
The species overwinters in the larval stage.
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Subspecies Lethe anthedon anthedon (A. Clark, 1936) Lethe anthedon borealis (A. Clark, 1936)
Similar species Satyrodes appalachia / Lethe appalachia (R. L. Chermock, 1947) – Appalachian brown Satyrodes eurydice [Lethe eurydice] (Linnaeus, 1763) – eyed brown
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