Horace's Duskywing
Erynnis horatius (Scudder & Burgess, 1870)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Fringes are brown. Upperside of male forewing is dark brown with little contrast and no white overscaling. Upperside of female forewing is light brown with a contrasting pattern and large transparent spots. Underside of hindwing is usually without 2 spots below the apex. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.
Wing Span: 1 7/16 - 1 15/16 inches (3.6 - 4.9 cm).
Life History: To seek females, males perch at the ends of twigs on hilltops or slopes about 1 foot above the ground. Mating has been observed around midday; females deposit eggs singly on new growth of the host. Caterpillars feed on young leaves and rest in leaf nests. Caterpillars of the last brood hibernate.
Flight: Two broods in the north from April-September, three broods in the Deep South and Texas from January-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Both red and white oaks including willow oak (Quercus phellos), northern red oak (Q. velutina), scrub oak (Q. ilicifolia), water oak (Q. nigra), post oak (Q. stellata), and live oak (Q. virginiana).
Adult Food: Horace\'s Duskywing visits flower up to about 4.5 feet tall including dogbane, buttonbush, sneezeweed, goldenrod, peppermint, boneset, and winter cress.
Habitat: Open woodlands and edges, clearings, fencerows, wooded swamps, power-line right-of-ways, open fields, roadsides.
Range: Massachusetts west to eastern South Dakota; south through most of the eastern United States to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and South Texas; south in the west through southeastern Utah, Colorado, northeastern Arizona, and New Mexico.
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 2924 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: Alex Stach
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Jun 15, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Hale County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: Alex Stach
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Apr 30, 2012
Submitted by: cfhayes
Region: Bryan County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Alex Stach
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Mar 26, 2026
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 26, 2026
Observation date: Jun 29, 2024
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Mar 16, 2026
Observation date: Mar 05, 2026
Submitted by: Lani57
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 06, 2026
Observation date: May 17, 2025
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jan 19, 2026
Observation date: Sep 27, 2025
Submitted by: ReggieGal
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 06, 2025
Observation date: Jul 23, 2025
Submitted by: Cheri Pierce
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 11, 2025
Submitted by: Blablancwillis
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Mar 16, 2025
Submitted by: aturney
Region: Texas, Polk County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 01, 2025
Observation date: Sep 14, 2025
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 29, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 28, 2025
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 29, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Jul 30, 2025
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2025
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 12, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 08, 2025
Observation date: Jul 20, 2025
Submitted by: Swhitaker
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 30, 2025
Observation date: Jul 23, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 25, 2025
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