Melissa Arctic

Oeneis melissa

The Melissa Arctic is a beautiful butterfly with striking colors. It flutters around in cold places, bringing joy to anyone who sees it. Its wings are like tiny works of art!

Habitat: Tundra

Appearance

The Melissa Arctic is a medium-sized butterfly with mottled brown and gray wings, often featuring small, indistinct eyespots. Its underside is intricately patterned, providing camouflage against rocky, lichen-covered environments. This dull coloration helps it blend into its harsh Arctic home.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderLepidopteraFamilyNymphalidaeGenusOeneis

Melissa Arctic

Interesting facts

Its caterpillar can take two to three years to grow up!

Melissa Arctic butterflies lay their eggs directly on grasses, not flowers.

They warm up by tilting their bodies to catch every ray of sun.

This butterfly can fly when temperatures are barely above freezing!

Special abilities

Melissa Arctic can remain active in chilly Arctic air because of special adaptations that help them fly and forage at low temperatures.

Melissa Arctic has cryptic wing patterns that help them disappear against lichen-covered rocks, protecting them from predators.

Melissa Arctic caterpillars can pause their growth for up to two winters because of a unique life cycle that helps them survive the extreme cold.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 40-65 mm
Size: 25-40 mm
Lifespan: 10-18 days
Flight Speed: 10 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

Adults sip flower nectar for energy, while caterpillars munch on tough Arctic grasses.

Age differences: Adults feed on nectar; caterpillars eat various types of grasses and sedges.

Primary Foods

flower nectar
grasses
sedges

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

pollinates

Mountain Avens

Dryas octopetala

Adults visit these Arctic flowers for nectar.

eats

Viviparous Fescue

Festuca vivipara

Caterpillars feed on the leaves of this hardy grass.

eaten by

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Larvae and adults can be a food source for birds.

eaten by

Arctic Wolf Spider

Pardosa glacialis

These spiders prey on adult butterflies.

Traits

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Herbivorous

This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Tundra

This habitat trait refers to species inhabiting tundras, which are treeless biomes characterized by permafrost, cold temperatures, and low-growing vegetation.