Wild Indigo Duskywing
Erynnis baptisiae (Forbes, 1936)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside of forewing is dark on the basal half and lighter on the outer half, with a distinct orange-brown patch at the end of the cell. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches (3/5 - 4.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch in open areas on low shrubs to wait for females. Eggs are deposited singly on the host plant. Fully-grown caterpillars from the second brood hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from late April to early June and from July to August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Usually wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), but also others including wild blue indigo (B. australis), lupine (Lupinus perennis), false lupine (Thermopsis villosa), and crown vetch (Coronilla varia).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of blackberry, white sweet clover, dogbane, sunflower, crimson clover, and probably others.
Habitat: Open woods and barrens for native hosts. Highways, railroad beds, and upland fields for the introduced crown vetch.
Range: Southern New England and southern Ontario west to central Nebraska; south to Georgia, the Gulf Coast, and southcentral Texas. The Wild Indigo duskywing is rapidly expanding its range and abundance by colonizing plantings of crown vetch along roadways and railroad beds. Comments: The Columbine, Wild Indigo, and Persius dusky wings belong to the "Persius complex," a confusing group of very similar butterflies.
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 25 - 48 of 2979 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 12, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Summit County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2024
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: dnight30
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 11, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 10, 2024
Submitted by: kabi-chan
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: Jgrugeon
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2024
Submitted by: LeslieMc
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 06, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: Benjamin Miller
Region: Knox County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 23, 2024
Observation date: Jun 11, 2024
Submitted by: dsjue
Region: Madison County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 12, 2024
Observation date: May 10, 2024
Submitted by: davidboon
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 11, 2024
Observation date: May 20, 2024
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Apr 14, 2024
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Apr 17, 2024
Observation date: Sep 12, 2023
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2018
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 02, 2024
Observation date: Mar 31, 2024
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 02, 2024
Observation date: Oct 13, 2023
Submitted by: lumpydave84
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 13, 2023
Observation date: Sep 30, 2023
Submitted by: Russ Wigh
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 05, 2023
Observation date: Sep 30, 2023
Submitted by: Russ Wigh
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 05, 2023
Observation date: Jul 04, 2023
Submitted by: jthompson6112
Region: Lake County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 27, 2023
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