Horace's Duskywing - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1½ - 1¾ inches (3.3 - 4.4 cm). UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Dark brown. Small cluster of tiny white spots near forewing tip. Heavily patterned with gray, brown, black, and tan. Female more heavily patterned. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Brown with indistinct light spots alng hindwing's outer edge.

ID Tip: Under surface hindwing lacks two small spots that are present on Juvenal's Duskywing.

Egg: Creamy white when laid; turns pale orange. A sphere with numerous longitudinal ridges. Laid on or near new growth.

Caterpillar: Light green or blue/green. Body covered with short hairs and minute white tubercles. Head is brown with small points at top; rimmed with a pair of yellow/orange dots. Collar indistinct. First three pairs of legs are pale. Mature caterpillars overwinter.

Chrysalis: Green in summer. Wing cases somewhat lighter. Two tiny black spots on upper thorax give the impression of eyes. Overwintering form is probably brown.

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Horace's Duskywings are the most abundant duskywing in Alabama, flying throughout the state from early summer until the end of fall. It seems to replace the very similar, spring-flying Juvenal's Duskywing as the year progresses, but at least three other duskywing species can also make identification confusing. Click the "Get Identificatin Help" link above for more information about how to identify Horace's Duskwings.

Horace's and Juvenal's Duskywings share a common lifestyle. Males perch around woodland openings or edges on bare twigs about 3-12 feet above the ground as they wait for females. They are highly territorial and aggressive and will fly out from their perch to engage various insects who happen to fly by. After the encounter, they will return to their perch. These butterflies have a quick, low flight. When they perch, they do so with their wings fully spread. However, when they roost, they grasp a twig and fold their wings and antennae backward like those of a moth. Horace's Duskywings often sip moisture from damp ground where they sit with open wings. They may be encountered in large puddle clubs, often in the company of other duskywings: identification can be challenging!

Females lay eggs on or near the new growth of several oak species. They have been observed ovipositing on short outgrowths approximately 3' tall as well as in the canopy. At least two generations occur with the first caterpillars developing directly through to adulthood. The final brood overwinters as final instar caterpillars, turning light brown and heavily silking together to form shelters. The leaves eventually fall to the ground, and the caterpillars spend the winter in the leaf litter within the shelter. Pupation occurs in early spring.

This wide-ranging species is found throughout much of the eastern United States. It occurs in every county in Alabama.

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, Dekalb, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

51 - Baldwin - 7/12/2020
31 - Baldwin - 5/20/2021
28 - Bibb - 6/5/2010

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
			1			1	4	9	21	15	44	32	29	25	8	26	36	110	286	222	161	67	131	160	248	143	226	201	203	165	187	78	96	55	44	25	16	5		3

Any open area in or near oak woodlands such as forest edges, utility right-of-ways, clearings, dirt roads and trails, and woodland stream edges. Also visits gardens.

Horace's Duskywing (*Erynnis horatius*)

County

© Sara Bright

Sunny road through oak woodland

In nearby states, the larvae reportedly feed on young leaves of Red Oak (Quercus rubra), Scrub Oak (Q. ilicifolia), and Post Oak (Q. stellata).

In Alabama, Water Oak (Quercus nigra) and Sand Live Oak (Quercus geminata) have been documented as host plants. Other oaks are probably used.

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Include oaks in your landscape to benefit many butterfly species including Horace's Duskywing.

Provide a variety of garden worthy, nectar-rich flowers to attract butterflies like Horace's Duskywing. These include: Butterfly Milkweed and other milkweeds; Purple Coneflower and other coneflowers; black eyed susans; phloxes; mountain mints; Common Buttonbush; Joe Pye weeds; gayfeathers/blazing stars; Mistflower; ironweeds; asters; and goldenrods.

Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.