NORTHERN METALMARK
This Northern Metalmark is nectaring on a Black-eyed Susan flower. Black-eyed Susans and butterfly weed (orange milkweed) are favorite nectar plants of this species. I have also seen Northern Metalmarks nectaring on daisies.
Northern Metalmarks have a very limited flight period. There is only one brood per year in our area. They usually fly from late June to mid-July. I found this individual on June 9, 2024, but that date was unusually early. (Lots of species were running about two weeks early in 2024.) In most years, these butterflies do not start flying until later in June.
Northern Metalmarks are uncommon to rare butterflies. They live in small, highly localized populations. There are good populations at Cox Arboretum and Germantown MetroPark.
This is the underside of a Northern Metalmark. Their wings are bright orange underneath. The orange color blends in quite well with the milkweed flowers.
The Northern Metalmark at left was found at Germantown MetroPark. Both Germantown and Cox Arboretum have small fragments of limestone barrens: the specialized habitat that this species needs.
Most other species of metalmarks are tropical butterflies. Ohio has only two species: the Northern Metalmark shown on this page, and the very rare Swamp Metalmark. The latter species was once thought to be extirpated from Ohio, but it was later rediscovered. All of the butterflies on this page are Northern Metalmarks. (I have never seen a Swamp Metalmark.)
The adults love milkweed nectar, but orange milkweed is not a host plant for the caterpillars. Instead, their larvae feed on ragwort.
A pair of Northern Metalmarks at Cox Arboretum.