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 313 - 336 of 3021 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 31, 2020
Submitted by: EMB
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 17, 2020
Observation date: Oct 07, 2020
Submitted by: p_stritch
Region: Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 09, 2020
Observation date: Oct 01, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 07, 2020
Observation date: Sep 02, 2020
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 02, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 17, 2020
Observation date: Sep 12, 2020
Submitted by: Latenight
Region: Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 15, 2020
Observation date: Sep 03, 2020
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 10, 2020
Observation date: Aug 06, 2020
Submitted by: Lissa Marie
Region: Delaware County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 09, 2020
Observation date: Sep 06, 2020
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 07, 2020
Observation date: May 19, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 28, 2020
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 30, 2020
Observation date: Aug 28, 2020
Submitted by: vvryabyy
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 28, 2020
Observation date: Aug 27, 2020
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 28, 2020
Observation date: Aug 25, 2020
Submitted by: joanfiller
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2020
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 22, 2020
Observation date: Jul 06, 2020
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 21, 2020
Observation date: Aug 20, 2020
Submitted by: mmeshaka
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 20, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2020
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 20, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2020
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 20, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2020
Observation date: Aug 18, 2020
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 17, 2020
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
Observation date: Aug 14, 2020
Submitted by: kzmmrmn
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
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