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 49 - 72 of 2870 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 19, 2023
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2022
Submitted by: nehall
Region: Martinsville, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: May 16, 2023
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Newport News, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 06, 2023
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Aug 11, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 13, 2023
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: May 13, 2024
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 13, 2024
Observation date: May 03, 2024
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Texas, Runnels County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 12, 2024
Observation date: Apr 26, 2024
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Jefferson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 12, 2024
Observation date: May 06, 2024
Submitted by: stesneym
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 06, 2024
Observation date: Apr 25, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 01, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2016
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 25, 2024
Observation date: Apr 18, 2024
Submitted by: L_rangel
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 19, 2024
Observation date: Apr 17, 2024
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 18, 2024
Observation date: Apr 07, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Bowie County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 20, 2022
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 27, 2024
Observation date: Feb 21, 2024
Submitted by: Mohr824
Region: DeSoto County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 11, 2024
Observation date: Feb 15, 2024
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 16, 2024
Observation date: Sep 22, 2023
Submitted by: Jorie
Region: Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 28, 2023
Observation date: Sep 13, 2023
Submitted by: ridgeboy
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 14, 2023
Observation date: Sep 13, 2023
Submitted by: Pkleinsasser
Region: St. Johns County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 13, 2023
Observation date: Aug 29, 2023
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 30, 2023
Observation date: Feb 24, 2023
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
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