Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1291037

Mournful Duskywing
Erynnis tristis

Observation date: April 30, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Puddling near the McCloud River
Status: Resident
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 20, 2021
Coordinator notes: This was one of the most interesting duskywings we found on the trip. They do not look at all like nominate tristis. Pacuvius in the Rocky Mountains have white fringes, in California they do not and these (the one along the McCloud River) appear similar to Erynnis juvenalis clitus. I checked the collecting legalities after I got home and collecting in National Recreation areas is OK for ones personal collection. The ranger station at Redding was closed, if I had resolved that issue earlier, I would have tried to collect a few more on May 3rd. One person I talked to at the parking lot (the guy across the river with the net) told me the McCloud River Bridge is in the National Recreation area and in the National Forest which I confirmed later, What I have learned over the years is it is hard to get rules straight and correct with workers at ranger stations or their employees in the field. My best duskywings of the trip were two Erynnis icelus (=Dreamy Duskywings) at the McCloud Reservoir near the hydroelectric plant along a shaded stream, my first ever in California. Persius Duskywings were also there and one individual appears to be a persius X icelus hybrid-Ken Davenport. Someone should check the DNA on the "tristis." It could be an unknown species.
Checklist region(s): United States, California, Shasta County