THE MEADOW-BROWNS OR SATYRS 219 



The Pearly Eye 



Enodia portlandia 



Most butterflies are creatures of open country, basking 

 freely in the sunshine and visiting flowers of many sorts 

 for their nectar food. Some of them are found at times 

 along the borders of woods and others seek the woods 

 especially in autumn for the purpose of hibernation. This 

 exquisite Pearly Eye, however, is distinctly a woodland 

 species, being found only in little glades in the midst of 

 woods and apparently seldom even seeking flowers for 

 their nectar. It is commonly considered one of the rarest 

 of American butterflies, but many collectors who have 

 searched their regions carefully have been able to find 

 small areas in which the butterfly is quite abundant. In 

 such situations it may be looked for in all parts of the 

 United States east of the western limits of the Mississippi 

 Valley and south of Canada, except perhaps the lower part 

 of Florida. 



In northern regions this butterfly is single-brooded : the 

 adults appear shortly before midsummer and continue 

 on the wing through July and at least part of August. 

 The eggs are laid some weeks after the butterflies emerge. 

 The caterpillars feed upon grasses and apparently hiber- 

 nate after they become well grown, changing to chrysalids 

 the following spring in time to emerge as butterflies in 

 early summer. 



These Pearly Eyes have certain characteristics which are 

 of especial interest. No other species presents such ex- 

 quisite modulation of brown coloring arranged in beauti- 

 ful circles upon both surfaces of the wings. The males 



