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.
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 289 - 312 of 2899 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: Tee. Mas
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 17, 2017
Observation date: Jul 10, 2017
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 14, 2017
Observation date: Jun 13, 2016
Submitted by: Martin Reid
Region: Hemphill County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 10, 2017
Observation date: May 13, 2017
Submitted by: Kristie Nelson
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 27, 2017
Observation date: May 15, 2017
Submitted by: Breck Breckenridge
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 18, 2017
Observation date: Mar 24, 2017
Submitted by: Bdog
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 26, 2017
Observation date: Aug 06, 2016
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 25, 2016
Observation date: Sep 11, 2016
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 25, 2016
Observation date: Aug 07, 2016
Submitted by: paulselden
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 24, 2016
Observation date: Aug 17, 2016
Submitted by: JimPurvis
Region: Tipton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Sep 10, 2016
Observation date: Aug 09, 2016
Submitted by: KS.trailwalker
Region: Franklin County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 31, 2016
Observation date: Aug 17, 2016
Submitted by: holla for the e...
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 17, 2016
Observation date: Aug 17, 2016
Submitted by: holla for the e...
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 17, 2016
Observation date: Aug 06, 2016
Submitted by: gunhilda
Region: Payne County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 06, 2016
Observation date: Aug 05, 2016
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 06, 2016
Observation date: Jul 30, 2016
Submitted by: Doug Bruce
Region: Bedford County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Aug 01, 2016
Observation date: Jul 31, 2016
Submitted by: Ansel Oommen
Region: Queens County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 31, 2016
Observation date: Jul 29, 2016
Submitted by: tom howe
Region: Sequatchie County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 31, 2016
Observation date: Jul 21, 2016
Submitted by: StaceyTavarez
Region: Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jul 21, 2016
Observation date: Jun 17, 2016
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 18, 2016
Observation date: May 19, 2016
Submitted by: henryr10
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 11, 2016
Observation date: Jul 02, 2016
Submitted by: Doug Bruce
Region: Crockett County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Jul 03, 2016
Observation date: Aug 15, 2015
Submitted by: Bonnie Morrison
Region: Howard County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 01, 2016
Observation date: Jun 02, 2016
Submitted by: John Wilson
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 01, 2016
- ‹ previous
- 13 of 121
- next ›