''Erynnis baptisiae'', the wild indigo duskywing, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...

of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from southern

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and southern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

west to central

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, south to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

, and south-central

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. The species is rapidly expanding its range and abundance by colonizing plantings of

crown vetch ''Securigera varia'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Coronilla varia''), commonly known as crownvetch or purple crown vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States an ...

along roadways and railroad beds. '' Erynnis lucilius'', ''Erynnis baptisiae'' and ''

Erynnis persius ''Erynnis persius'', the Persius duskywing, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae that occurs in North America. It is a threatened species in Michigan and is protected by law. The subspecies ''Erynnis persius persius'' is listed as endangered ...

'' belong to the "Persius species complex", a confusing group of very similar species. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

is 35–41 mm. Adults are on wing from late April to early June and again from July to August. There are two generations per year. Wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)

Wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)

The larvae mainly feed on '' Baptisia tinctoria'', but have also been recorded on '' Baptisia australis'', ''

Lupinus perennis ''Lupinus perennis'' (also wild perennial lupine, wild lupine, sundial lupine, blue lupine, Indian beet, or old maid's bonnets) is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is widespread in the eastern part of the USA (from Texas and Fl ...

'', '' Thermopsis villosa'' and ''

Coronilla varia ''Securigera varia'' ( synonym ''Coronilla varia''), commonly known as crownvetch or purple crown vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States and Canada for eros ...

''. Adults feed on nectar from flowers of blackberry, white sweet clover, dogbane, sunflower, crimson clover and probably others.

References

External links

Butterflies and Moths of North AmericaBugGuide
Erynnis Butterflies described in 1936 Taxa named by William Trowbridge Merrifield Forbes {{Pyrginae-stub