Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

12 July 2003   (specimen captured 11 July 2003)  (top left)
6 August 2003   11:00PM EDT  (top right)
12 July 2003   (specimen captured 11 July 2003)  (bottom)
The photos at top left and bottom are of the same specimen.

Eudryas unio, also known as the Pearly Wood-Nymph, is one of two species of Eudryas that occur in the Ottawa area.

The forewing of Eudryas unio is dominated by a large shimmering white area, with dark red-brown shading in the inner half of the wing at the costa, and along the inner margin. These dark shades are partly bordered in dark olive green. The lower half of the reniform spot extends into the white area, where it is olive green, slightly grayish at the lower end.  There is a curved band of dark reddish brown along the outer margin, scalloped and bordered with dark olive green along the inside.  The thorax has a raised band of dark reddish brown scales down the center, bordered by white.  The hindwing is bright rich yellow, bordered in rust.  The underside of both forewing and hindwing is rich yellow, with a few dark blotches.  The forelegs look as if the moth is wearing fur sleeves with cuffs, in gray and white.  The abdomen is bright yellow on the dorsal side, with black spots down the center and along the sides, but white on the ventral side.

Eudryas unio is similar to Eudryas grata (Hodges 9301, also illustrated on this web site), but somewhat smaller.  The two species can easily be distinguished by the fact that the dark band along the outer margin of the forewing in Eudryas unio is scalloped on the inside, whereas it is smoothly curved in Eudryas grata.

The larvae of Eudryas unio feed on evening primrose, grape, hibiscus and willow-herb (Covell, 1983).  Handfield (1999) indicates an adult flight season from mid-May through early August for my general area.

I have photographed this species in 2002, on 2 July; in 2003, on 12 July, and on 1 and 6 August.