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 313 - 336 of 2939 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Jul 23, 2021
Submitted by: catbirdcat
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 24, 2021
Observation date: Apr 08, 2019
Submitted by: datilson
Region: Carteret County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 17, 2021
Observation date: Aug 18, 2021
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 09, 2021
Observation date: Oct 02, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Hyde County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Oct 01, 2021
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Craighead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 15, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 20, 2021
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: systanfield
Region: Newberry County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 19, 2021
Observation date: Sep 07, 2021
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Sep 08, 2021
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 23, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 22, 2021
Observation date: May 06, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 21, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Cass County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Aug 19, 2021
Observation date: Aug 19, 2021
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Macon County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 19, 2021
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: lac62@comcast.net
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 11, 2021
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: lac62@comcast.net
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 11, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2021
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Adair County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 09, 2021
Observation date: Aug 01, 2021
Submitted by: rseidler
Region: St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 07, 2021
Observation date: Mar 31, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 05, 2021
Observation date: Aug 01, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 29, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Patterson
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 30, 2021
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: SFellows
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 29, 2021
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