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The Silver Crescent (Charidryas nycteis)

Charidryas nycteis (Cha-rid'ry-as nyc-te'is) PLATE XXII, FIG. 6, 7 The silver crescent is most easily distinguished by the markings of the lower surface of the wings, the outer margin of which has a distinct, narrow, yellow terminal line of nearly uniform width, bordered within and without with brown. Just within this line there is a series of silver-white lunules; these lunules are very small or wanting in cells M, and M, of each wing. There is a transverse band of silver-white or light buff spots near the middle of the hind wing on the lower side, and a similar band near the base. Expanse one and three-fourths inches.

CATERPILLAR.-Length nearly an inch; body velvety black, with an orange stripe along the side and with many black spines arranged in lengthwise rows.

Food-plants. —Sunflower, Actinomeris, and other Compositæ. At first glance the silver crescent seems to be a dark-brown butterfly with a band of orange across both wings; but a closer inspection reveals the band to be made up of various ornamental spots, lines, and patches; and the lower sides of the wings with their many devious and diverse markings of brown and silver reduce to despair one who would write of them a graphic description.

The caterpillars are social at first, but when disturbed coil up and promptly drop to the ground, climbing back again at their leisure when the scare is over.

When about half-grown the caterpillars leave the food-plant and hide under sticks and stones or in convenient crevices, and there remain until the next spring, when they finish their growth. There is only one brood in the North; in the South there are two broods, but occasionally some caterpillars of the first brood stop eating in midsummer and hibernate with their nephews and nieces of the next brood, the offspring of their more ambitious brothers and sisters that completed their growth and produced eggs for the second brood.

The species occurs from Canada to North Carolina and west through the Mississippi Valley. It is single-brooded in the North and probably both single- and double-brooded in the South.

The gold-barr'd butterflies to and fro And over the waterside wander'd and wove, As heedless and idle as clouds that rove And drift by the peaks of perpetual snow.