They are generally found only in the southern U S since Frogfruits, their host plants, cannot withstand freezing temperatures.            
   Their range extends from Guatemala up through southern California, and stretches east to South Carolina and down to Florida and Cuba. Occasionally, some can be found in the Midwest, although they are not common.
   Phaon Crescents prefer moist open areas such as dunes, road edges, pastures and openings in dense forest thickets.
   There are several flights (early spring to late fall) in the northern part of the range and flights nearly year round in peninsular Florida.
   New Mexico will see these butterflies in flight from April to September.
   They fly in California from February until October. In peninsular Florida, they can be found Florida almost year round.
   Phaon and Pearl Crescents often fly side by side.     They can be a problem to identify, but Phaons can be distinguished by the unique creamy band that runs down the forewings. 
   They are exceptionally low fliers, seldom flying more than 6" above the ground.

    Males patrol open areas near host plants for females.

   Mating occurs primarily during midday.
   Males have violet blue with white fringes and a small black spot along the outer hindwing margin.

   Females have brown with blue scaling limited to wing bases and small black spots along the outer hindwing margin.

   Ventral hindwings are gray with darker bands, two black spots along the leading margin, a narrow, somewhat faint white postmedian band, and a single orange rimmed black eyespot along the outer margin.

   Field Marks are small and orange with black markings and borders.

   The forewing has a median cream band. 

   (Spring or fall butterflies have gray hindwings.)

   Both males and females appear quite similar with the female being slightly larger.

   There are currently 18 species of crescents in the Americas.