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 25 - 48 of 2810 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 02, 2023
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: Texas, Marion County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 14, 2023
Observation date: Jul 10, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 11, 2023
Observation date: Jul 09, 2023
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 11, 2023
Observation date: Jun 28, 2023
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Jul 10, 2023
Observation date: Jul 08, 2023
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 09, 2023
Observation date: Jul 08, 2023
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 09, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2023
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 06, 2023
Observation date: Jun 30, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 01, 2023
Observation date: Jun 27, 2023
Submitted by: k.d.stutzman
Region: Kent County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 29, 2023
Observation date: Jun 25, 2023
Submitted by: Corkscrew
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 28, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: Russ Wigh
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 28, 2023
Observation date: Jun 24, 2023
Submitted by: MJKrotzer
Region: Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 27, 2023
Observation date: Jun 20, 2023
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 20, 2023
Observation date: May 09, 2023
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Wolfe County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 11, 2023
Observation date: May 09, 2023
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Wolfe County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 11, 2023
Observation date: May 24, 2023
Submitted by: polylepis
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 09, 2023
Observation date: May 26, 2023
Submitted by: robtluke@aol.com
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 02, 2023
Observation date: May 22, 2023
Submitted by: robtluke@aol.com
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 02, 2023
Observation date: May 25, 2023
Submitted by: robtluke@aol.com
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 01, 2023
Observation date: May 19, 2023
Submitted by: kowen
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 27, 2023
Observation date: May 23, 2023
Submitted by: Winston22
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 25, 2023
Observation date: Apr 24, 2023
Submitted by: JolieElise
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 14, 2023
Observation date: May 10, 2023
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 10, 2023
Observation date: Apr 23, 2023
Submitted by: LMorrisButterfly
Region: Manatee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 08, 2023
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