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Sleepy Duskywing- Erynnis brizo

 

Classification

 Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Arthropoda
 Class: Insecta
 Order: Lepidoptera
 Family: Hesperiidae
 Genus: Erynnis

Description

Sleepy Duskywing

The sleepy duskywing has a wingspan of 1¼ -1¾ inches. The upperside of its forewings is a dark brown with two zig-zaggy grayish bands bordered in black. The upperside of its hindwings has two rows of white to cream spots. Its undersides are marked in a similar, but light pattern as its uppersides.

Range

mapThe sleepy duskywing is found in much of the eastern United States from Maine south to Florida and west to Minnesota and Texas. In the west it is found from California east to Colorado and south to New Mexico. It is also found in Canada and Mexico. The sleepy duskywing is found in New Hampshire.

Habitat

The sleepy duskywing is found in dry rocky, sandy, or brushy areas like roadsides, railroad beds, pine barrens, oak barrens, and recently burned areas.

Diet

The sleepy duskywing caterpillar eats wild indigo, lupine, and crown vetch . The adult sleepy duskywing eats nectar from flowers including blackberry, white clover, red clover, dogbane, and sunflower.

Lifecycle

The female sleepy duskywing lays single eggs on the leaves of a host plant. There are two broods a year. The second brood overwinters.