National Moth Week is July 18-26!
Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.
Common Sootywing
Pholisora catullus (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside is glossy black with small white spots on outer third of forewing. Female has more white spots on the forewing than the male, and a submarginal row of spots on the hindwing. Underside of forewing repeats the upperside; hindwing is solid black.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 5/16 inches (2.5 - 3.3 cm).
Life History: Adults bask with the wings spread open. To find receptive females, males patrol near the ground in sunny places; mating takes place in the morning and afternoon. Near midday, females lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live and feed within shelters of folded leaves. Caterpillars of the second brood overwinter in their silk-lined leaf shelters and pupate within them in the spring.
Flight: Two broods; from May-August in the north, March-November in Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), amaranths (Amaranthus), and cockscomb (Celosia).
Adult Food: Nectar from many flowers including dogbane, marjoram, oxalis, white clover, common milkweed, peppermint, cucumber, and melon.
Habitat: Open or disturbed areas such as landfills, vacant lots, gardens, roadsides, fields, and pastures.
Range: Central United States south to central Mexico. Strays and colonizes to southern British Columbia, northern Michigan, southern Quebec, and southern Maine. Does not occur in peninsular Florida.
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 241 - 264 of 2899 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: sam_hartzler
Region: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 04, 2018
Observation date: Jul 25, 2018
Submitted by: dolores.gladtid...
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jul 25, 2018
Observation date: Jun 12, 2018
Submitted by: Kitty329
Region: Day County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 25, 2018
Observation date: Jul 13, 2018
Submitted by: satchmo0802
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 15, 2018
Observation date: Jul 05, 2018
Submitted by: Justme
Region: Butler County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 09, 2018
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: edcope66
Region: Winnebago County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 08, 2018
Observation date: Jul 03, 2018
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2018
Observation date: Jun 28, 2018
Submitted by: julmast
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jun 28, 2018
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: briahna
Region: Washoe County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2018
Observation date: May 19, 2018
Submitted by: Wendy McCrady
Region: Custer County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jun 15, 2018
Observation date: Apr 02, 2017
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 09, 2018
Observation date: Jun 04, 2018
Submitted by: Kerriefree
Region: Stanislaus County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 05, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: satchmo0802
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 03, 2018
Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: KS bird-man
Region: Saline County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 24, 2018
Observation date: Aug 01, 2016
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 21, 2018
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 18, 2018
Observation date: May 27, 2017
Submitted by: Cameala
Region: Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Feb 10, 2018
Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Feb 06, 2018
Observation date: Aug 15, 2016
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 29, 2017
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Baca County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Dec 24, 2017
Observation date: Aug 10, 2017
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 11, 2017
Observation date: Sep 14, 2016
Submitted by: tom howe
Region: Johnson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 05, 2017
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 28, 2017
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 23, 2017
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