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.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 217 - 240 of 3020 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: satchmo0802
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 10, 2021
Submitted by: rogerashton
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 25, 2021
Observation date: Sep 20, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 22, 2021
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 19, 2021
Observation date: Oct 06, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 06, 2021
Observation date: Sep 06, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 06, 2021
Observation date: Aug 31, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 27, 2021
Observation date: Aug 30, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Aug 06, 2020
Submitted by: BMcNaught
Region: Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 23, 2021
Observation date: Aug 27, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 21, 2021
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: getherington
Region: Putnam County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 19, 2021
Observation date: Sep 06, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 04, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 03, 2021
Observation date: Sep 02, 2021
Submitted by: p_stritch
Region: Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 31, 2021
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 01, 2021
Observation date: Aug 30, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 01, 2021
Observation date: Aug 29, 2021
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 29, 2021
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 29, 2021
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Aug 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 21, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 22, 2021
Observation date: Aug 02, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 22, 2021
Observation date: Jul 31, 2021
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 21, 2021
Observation date: Aug 19, 2021
Submitted by: Marquy275
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 20, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 10 of 126
- next ›