Duskywings (Erynnis)
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The name Duskywing sounds familiar to the ears of all North American butterfly watchers.
Seventeen different species bask on native soil and low hanging branches, and with the exception of a handful of tropical species, all the species feel equally at home in Canada and the United States.
A quick comparative glance at the four species presented here highlights Duskywing physical features. Apart from the basic dark, dull and dusky looking wings, a few physical features remain to help distinguish among the species.
The presence of the white border on the bottom wings of the Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis), for example, helps identify it.
It's a fairly common Southwest species, and while the Pacuvius Duskywing also has a white wing, the patterns on the top wings differentiates the two species.
Having said that, compare picture one and picture two, the Pacuvius Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius).
While Rocky mountain Pacuvius Duskywing species show a white skirt at the bottom of the hind wings, West Coast species show a brown skirt.
The brown skirted form looks very similar to the Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius). The picture highlights the grayish marks on the edges of the forewings.
Together, both forms of the Pacuvius Duskywings call areas of western North America that hosts the larval food (Ceanothus or California Lilac) home.
Remaining in the west, picture three shows the Propertius Duskywing (Erynnis propertius), and its rather bland lower wings contrasted with the spotted, and darker, top wings.
They bask on and near the ground of fields and forests from spring through mid-summer, particularly near oak groves, which serve as food for the caterpillars.
Moving east, the Juvenal's Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) flies in most areas of the Central, South and Eastern North America where Quercus oak species (the larval host plant) grow.
The white marks on the forewings are larger in females, suggesting the top picture shows a female.
Apart from the presence of some white hairs on the forewings of males, Juvenal's Duskywing look similar to another eastern species Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius).
Reports indicate they reproduce one brood per year. However, their north-south range extends from border to border, so they can be active through some part of their range most of the year.
© 2008-2011 Patricia A. Michaels