Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Black Dash
Euphyes conspicua (W.H. Edwards, 1863)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is black; male forewing with a heavy stigma; female wings with some pale spots. Underside of hindwing is red-brown with a curved band of yellow spots.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 5/8 inches (3.2 - 4.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch low on marsh vegetation.
Flight: One brood from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Uptight sedge (Carex stricta), and possibly others.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including buttonbush, jewelweed, and swamp thistle.
Habitat: Boggy marshes, wet meadows, and marshy stream banks.
Range: The upper Midwest from eastern Nebraska east to southern Ontario; the central Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts south to southeast Virginia.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Alternate Scientific Names:
Euphyes conspicuus