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Swamp Metalmark (Calephelis muticum McAlpine)
Wing span: 15/16 - 1 3/16 inches (2.4 - 3 cm).
Identification: Male with pointed forewing. Upperside of both sexes bright red-brown; dark median band not evident. Wing fringes lightly checkered.
Life history: Eggs are laid singly on underside of host plant leaves, which the caterpillars eat. Fourth and fifth stage caterpillars overwinter.
Flight: One flight from June-August in the Great Lakes region, two flights from May-September in the south.
Caterpillar hosts: Swamp thistle (Cirsium muticum) and roadside thistle (C. altissimum).
Adult food: Nectar from yellow flowers including black-eyed susans.
Habitat: Bogs, marshes, swamps, wet meadows.
Range: Populations in southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, and northern Arkansas. Isolated populations in central Kentucky and eastern Iowa.
Conservation: Isolated populations should be conserved wherever found.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns
Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson
field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
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 1999 -
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