Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1¼ - 1½ inches (3.2 - 3.8 cm). UPPER SURFACE (dorsal): Drab brown. Unmarked. Males lack androconial scent scales on upper forewing. UNDER SURFACE (ventral): Brown with numerous eyespots on the edges of fore-and hindwings.  

Egg: Pale green. Hemispherical.

Caterpillar: Green; covered with tiny white dots; row of small white spots along sides. Head green with no horns. Two short tails on posterior end. Very similar to Intricate Satyr. To date, the only reported difference is a slight variation in overall color: Carolina Satyr caterpillars are blue-green while Intricate Satyr caterpillars tend to be yellow-green. The overwintering stage. 

Chrysalis: Green with two ridges; black dots on each side and along the wing case margins.The black dots near the wing are reportedly absent on Intricate Satyr pupae.

Carolina Satyrs are butterfly plain Janes and the smallest of Alabama's satyrs. Their muddy-brown hindwings are adorned only with dark brown ripples and modest eyespots.  When they bask, their fully extended wings reveal no embellishments.  Only swollen forewing veins that function as vibration sensors break the expanse of dull, gray-brown scales.

Carolina Satyrs are common throughout Alabama, especially in moist forested areas.  Constantly bobbing and weaving among grassy patches, they rarely rise more than a foot above the ground.  Males are constantly searching for potential mates, tirelessly inspecting every nook and cranny for females.  Both sexes gain nourishment from rotting fruit, animal droppings, fungi, and tree sap.  Like may butterflies that reportedly never nectar at flowers, Carolina Satyrs do sometimes, especially in autumn.

Distribution and Abundance

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

  • Map Symbol for Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 years
  • Map Symbol for Semi-Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
  • Map Symbol for Old Sightings Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

  • 170 - Colbert - 8/31/2013
  • 155 - Colbert - 9/1/2013
  • 150 - Colbert - 9/7/2012
County Distribution Map

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1 9 23 95 183 614 612 711 990 1118 869 733 208 453 110 180 530 430 413 391 271 525 621 815 1156 1716 1550 995 575 985 744 500 325 135 116 46 24 4 4 3 1

Habitat

A wide variety of woodland habitats

Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Road through woodlands
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Road with grassy edges
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Paulette Ogard
Disturbed site
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Stream through woods
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Paulette Ogard
Utility right-of-way
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Forest stream
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Suburban garden
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Woods with grasses underneath
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Sara Bright
Grass lined path through woods
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Paulette Ogard
Edge of woodlands
Carolina Satyr
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
County
© Paulette Ogard
Disturbed site

Host and Nectar Plants

Various grasses are reported throughout the range.

The following have been documented in Alabama:

 

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Landscaping Ideas

Native grasses in the landscape support the caterpillars of several butterfly species, including Carolina Satyrs.