A little orange butterfly

Here you see one of North America's small butterflies. Its range extends from parts of Mexico at the south, across most of the United States and deep into Canada.

This is a pearl crescent butterfly. It has a wingspan of about 1 3/4 inch. The dark reddish brown, varying orange and parchment white patterns are similar yet different from one pearl crescent to another. The dots on the rear wings circled by orange and the brushed parchment fringes at the edges of the wings are constants.

There are other small butterflies in Southeast Missouri that sport a predominantly orange appearance. They may be difficult to distinguish from one another without checking guide images.