Insect · GBIF taxon 5112131
Beautiful Wood-nymph
Eudryas grataBeautiful wood-nymphs rest openly on leaves during broad daylight, folded so neatly that their creamy white wings and marbled brown borders perfectly mimic fresh bird droppings. The caterpillars are strikingly patterned in orange, white, and bluish-black rings with bold black dots, feeding conspicuously along leaf margins of woody vines. Adults fly mainly at night, readily coming to porch lights and ultraviolet moth sheets throughout warm summer evenings.
NocturnalCamouflagedMoth
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Virginia creeper leaves
- Wild grape foliage
- Flower nectar
Predators
- Songbirds
- Bats
- Spiders
ThreatsPesticide spraying, habitat fragmentation, and artificial light pollution.
HabitatsDeciduous forests, woodland edges, suburban gardens, and thickets.
Life span1–2 weeks as an adult; approximately 1 year total life cycle
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderLepidoptera
- FamilyNoctuidae
- GenusEudryas
- SpeciesEudryas grata
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Night Lighting: Check illuminated white walls or porch lights after midnight during June and July.
- Daytime Searching: Inspect the upper surfaces of grape and Virginia creeper leaves for resting adults disguised as bird droppings.
- Gentle Inspection: Use a flashlight with a red filter to observe nighttime nectar feeding without scattering them.
Host Plant (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Host Plant (c) miquelon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by miquelon · cc-by
Host Plant (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Predator (c) Fyn Kynd, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved · cc0
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Found in Collections
Species set
Moonlight Marvels
Beautiful Wood-nymph is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
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