Wildflower Archive
Common ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)
CC0 · iNaturalist

Pollinator

Common ringlet

Coenonympha tullia

A small, pale ochre satyr that dances low over northern grasslands.

Family
Nymphalidae (satyrs)
Wingspan
1.3 to 1.8 in (3.4 to 4.6 cm)
Flight season
Late spring to summer
Range
Northern and western North America
Caterpillar food
Grasses
Conservation
Secure and widespread

The common ringlet is a little butterfly of soft ochre and cream, sometimes with a small eyespot, easily overlooked as it flutters low over meadows and roadside grass.

It has spread widely in recent decades and is now common across the northern states and Canada, flying in one or two broods.

Common ringlet caterpillar
Caterpillar. Barry Cottam · CC BY (iNaturalist)

Caterpillars feed on grasses, so it thrives wherever native bunchgrasses are left standing.

Plants for the common ringlet

32 native plants with documented flower-visit records. Narrow with the filters below.

32 plants

Common yarrow complex1 of 2
Common yarrow complex Achillea millefolium
California poppy1 of 2
California poppy Eschscholzia californica
Chokecherry
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana
Wild bergamot1 of 3
Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa
Red osier dogwood
Red osier dogwood Cornus sericea
Anise hyssop1 of 3
Anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum
Sea Thrift1 of 2
Sea Thrift Armeria maritima
False sunflower1 of 3
False sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides
Common boneset1 of 2
Common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
Virginia strawberry1 of 2
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
New England aster1 of 2
New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Virgin's-bower
Virgin's-bower Clematis virginiana
Lance-leaved Coreopsis1 of 3
Lance-leaved Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
Turkey tangle frogfruit1 of 2
Turkey tangle frogfruit Phyla nodiflora
Pearly everlasting1 of 3
Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea
Great blanketflower1 of 3
Great blanketflower Gaillardia aristata
Menzies' baby blue eyes1 of 3
Menzies' baby blue eyes Nemophila menziesii
Coyote brush
Coyote brush Baccharis pilularis
Spreading dogbane1 of 2
Spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
Golden Alexanders1 of 2
Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea
Woods' rose1 of 3
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii
Prairie smoke1 of 3
Prairie smoke Geum triflorum
Moss Campion1 of 2
Moss Campion Silene acaulis
Flat-topped goldenrod1 of 2
Flat-topped goldenrod Euthamia graminifolia
Narrowleaf mountainmint
Narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Sulfur buckwheat1 of 2
Sulfur buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum
Field goldenrod1 of 2
Field goldenrod Solidago nemoralis
Tidy tips1 of 2
Tidy tips Layia platyglossa
Heart-leaf golden Alexanders
Heart-leaf golden Alexanders Zizia aptera
Woolly cranesbill1 of 2
Woolly cranesbill Geranium erianthum
Fireweed
Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium
Mountain forget-me-not1 of 2
Mountain forget-me-not Myosotis asiatica

Sources