Common Wood-Nymph

Common Wood-Nymph

Cercyonis pegala

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at New York City

In 3 days ~10%

7 Verified sightings at New York City
216 In all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Wood-Nymph

The common wood-nymph (Cercyonis pegala) is a North American species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is also known as the wood-nymph, grayling, blue-eyed grayling, and the goggle eye. All individuals are brown with two eyespots on each forewing – the lower one often being larger than the upper one. Some may have many, few, or no eyespots on the ventral surface of the hindwing. In the southeastern part of its range, it has a large yellow... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
11 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Wood-Nymph in New York City?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Wood-Nymph sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1254th most-seen of the 1623 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Wood-Nymph in New York City?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Wood-Nymph in New York City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Common Wood-Nymph?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Wood-Nymph sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is New York City the best place to see a Common Wood-Nymph?

10th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Common Wood-Nymph sightings, New York City ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Edmonton (Canada, about 10%), Calgary (Canada, about 10%) and Toronto (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Common Wood-Nymph live in New York City?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Common Wood-Nymph that you can see in New York City (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Monarch (about 30%), Red Admiral (about 20%) and American Lady (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Wood-Nymph sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Wood-Nymph is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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