Coenonympha ampelos elko

Photo Life History: Coenonympha ampelos elko; Nicky Davis

Habitat:  Valley Wet Meadows; Mountain Canyons

Host Plants:  Bunch grasses.

Suitable Lab Host Plants: Bromus inermus; Phalaris arundinacea.  (Larvae will accept most grasses in the lab.)

How to Find Female Butterflies:  Click here.  Females can be flushed out of meadows by gently waiving a butterfly net over the tops of grasses. 

Caring for Live Female Butterflies:  Nectaring techniques

Methods of Female Oviposition:  Open Screen Cages; Portable Cages; Potted Plant Sleeves. (Females sometimes oviposit on dead grass blades.)

How to Find Eggs:

How to Hatch Eggs:  Consolidate eggs into one container.

How to Find Caterpillars in the Field:

How to Find Pupae in the Field: 

Caterpillar setups:  Open terrariums; Open Bucket; Potted Plant

Larva to Pupa:  Caterpillar silks to leaf or twig; creates and attaches cremaster; hanging as a J before pupating.

Number of Broods per Year:  2

Overwintering Stage:  Third instar. 

Overwintering Strategies:

Post-Hibernation Strategies: 

Avoiding Diapause Techniques:  Expose larvae to 24 hours of light; Healthy Host Plant.  

Disease Prevention:  Change out host plant and remove frass every three to five days. 

Emergence:  Emergence Container

Field Notes: