Wild Indigo Duskywing
Erynnis baptisiae (Forbes, 1936)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside of forewing is dark on the basal half and lighter on the outer half, with a distinct orange-brown patch at the end of the cell. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches (3/5 - 4.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch in open areas on low shrubs to wait for females. Eggs are deposited singly on the host plant. Fully-grown caterpillars from the second brood hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from late April to early June and from July to August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Usually wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), but also others including wild blue indigo (B. australis), lupine (Lupinus perennis), false lupine (Thermopsis villosa), and crown vetch (Coronilla varia).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of blackberry, white sweet clover, dogbane, sunflower, crimson clover, and probably others.
Habitat: Open woods and barrens for native hosts. Highways, railroad beds, and upland fields for the introduced crown vetch.
Range: Southern New England and southern Ontario west to central Nebraska; south to Georgia, the Gulf Coast, and southcentral Texas. The Wild Indigo duskywing is rapidly expanding its range and abundance by colonizing plantings of crown vetch along roadways and railroad beds. Comments: The Columbine, Wild Indigo, and Persius dusky wings belong to the "Persius complex," a confusing group of very similar butterflies.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 3012 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 05, 2025
Submitted by: Snellzy
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Sep 02, 2018
Submitted by: Michiganbirder19
Region: Genesee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 21, 2025
Observation date: Aug 28, 2022
Submitted by: Marquy275
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 21, 2025
Observation date: Sep 04, 2025
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 28, 2025
Observation date: Sep 07, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 19, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2025
Submitted by: barthsm
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: dbryant562
Region: Wayne County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: dbryant562
Region: Wayne County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 04, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 04, 2025
Observation date: Aug 29, 2025
Submitted by: Arabella S Dane
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 31, 2025
Observation date: Aug 24, 2025
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2025
Submitted by: Lutherjj
Region: Douglas County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 21, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 01, 2025
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 14, 2025
Submitted by: Robert Kramer
Region: McCracken County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 15, 2025
Observation date: Aug 07, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Lincoln County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 30, 2025
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 11, 2025
Submitted by: 4Th3B1rds
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jun 09, 2025
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 17, 2025
Submitted by: Allison Barta
Region: Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 17, 2025
Observation date: Jul 13, 2025
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
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