Swamp Metalmark (Calephelis mutica 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.
