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 73 - 96 of 2979 verified sightings
Observation date: May 31, 2023
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 31, 2023
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: Russ Wigh
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 27, 2023
Observation date: May 13, 2023
Submitted by: urbanrose
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 15, 2023
Observation date: Apr 19, 2023
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Union County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 21, 2023
Observation date: Mar 27, 2023
Submitted by: greggra
Region: Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 31, 2023
Observation date: May 17, 2022
Submitted by: seth83
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Mar 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2016
Submitted by: davidboon
Region: United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 27, 2023
Observation date: Apr 23, 2016
Submitted by: zstevenson95
Region: United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 27, 2023
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Dec 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2022
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Nov 16, 2022
Observation date: Oct 06, 2022
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Porter County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Nov 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2019
Submitted by: Shepherd1
Region: Comal County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 15, 2022
Observation date: Mar 27, 2019
Submitted by: Laurie Sheppard
Region: Grayson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2021
Submitted by: frizzletoad
Region: Grayson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 08, 2022
Observation date: Sep 20, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 18, 2022
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Sep 15, 2022
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 08, 2022
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 08, 2022
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: mysorekid
Region: St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 01, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 11, 2022
Submitted by: CincyJeff
Region: Adams County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
Observation date: Sep 01, 2022
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
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