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 553 - 576 of 2953 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 12, 2020
Submitted by: Reach
Region: Manatee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 26, 2020
Observation date: May 13, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Elizabeth Anderegg)
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 26, 2020
Observation date: May 19, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Elizabeth Anderegg)
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 26, 2020
Observation date: May 28, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 25, 2020
Observation date: May 28, 2019
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 25, 2020
Observation date: Jun 10, 2019
Submitted by: ClydeBasset
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 25, 2020
Observation date: Jun 23, 2019
Submitted by: vcdevaney
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 25, 2020
Observation date: May 20, 2020
Submitted by: Ava Reinstein
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 20, 2020
Observation date: May 17, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 18, 2020
Observation date: May 12, 2020
Submitted by: elopm
Region: Johnson County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 14, 2020
Observation date: May 06, 2020
Submitted by: Rich W
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 14, 2020
Observation date: May 09, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 12, 2020
Observation date: May 17, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 11, 2020
Observation date: May 17, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 11, 2020
Observation date: May 21, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 11, 2020
Observation date: May 11, 2020
Submitted by: Diane R Halpin
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 11, 2020
Observation date: May 10, 2020
Submitted by: KShell
Region: Dixie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 10, 2020
Observation date: May 10, 2020
Submitted by: KShell
Region: Dixie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 10, 2020
Observation date: May 05, 2020
Submitted by: Margaret3991
Region: St. Lucie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 07, 2020
Observation date: May 04, 2020
Submitted by: Bob2020
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 05, 2020
Observation date: May 03, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 05, 2020
Observation date: May 02, 2020
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 04, 2020
Observation date: May 03, 2020
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 04, 2020
Observation date: Apr 27, 2020
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 27, 2020
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