Columbine duskywing | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Hesperiidae |
Genus: | Erynnis |
Species: | E. lucilius |
Binomial name | |
Erynnis lucilius (Scudder & Burgess, 1870) | |
Synonyms | |
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Erynnis lucilius, the columbine duskywing, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from southern Quebec to Manitoba and south to the north-eastern United States. It is part of the skipper family because its wings create a skipping pattern. [1]
The wingspan is 21–29 mm. There are two generations in the east from early May to mid-June. [1]
The larvae and mature caterpillars feed on leaves while adult butterflies consume flower nectar. [2]
Larva eggs are attached to the underside of plant leaves. Once hatched, the larva consume the surrounding plant leaves and rest from time to time in the shade of plants. Larva continue to eat until they fully mature as caterpillars. At full maturity, caterpillars enter their hibernation to begin their transformation into adult butterflies. Adult Duskywings pollinate plants as they consume nectar and seek out another butterfly to mate with. After mating, female Duskywings lay their newly born eggs on the underside of a plant leaf ready to hatch. [2]
The Duskywing will appear in shades of brown. The underside of the hindwing has marginal spots. Males of the species have a costal fold containing yellow-colored "scent scales" to provide a sense of smell. [2] Females of the species have their "scent scales" on the 7th abdominal segment. [2]
Duskywings can be found in ecosystems containing ravines and gullies. Mostly living in rocky and deciduous woodland forests, the Duskywing will prefer natural shady areas to rest with plenty of leafy plants for consumption. [2]
The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae are "longwing butterflies", which have long, narrow wings compared to other butterflies.
Pieris rapae is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is known in Europe as the small white, in North America as the cabbage white or cabbage butterfly, on several continents as the small cabbage white, and in New Zealand as the white butterfly. The butterfly is recognizable by its white color with small black dots on its wings, and it can be distinguished from P. brassicae by its larger size and the black band at the tip of its forewings.
Pieris brassicae, the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, Pieris rapae.
The silver-washed fritillary is a common and variable butterfly found over much of the Palearctic realm – Algeria, Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan.
Anthocharis cardamines, the orange tip, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae, which contains about 1,100 species. A. cardamines is mainly found throughout Europe and temperate Asia (Palearctic) The males feature wings with a signature orange pigmentation, which is the origin of A. cardamines' common name.
Gonepteryx rhamni, commonly named the common brimstone, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It lives throughout the Palearctic zone and is commonly found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Across much of its range, it is the only species of its genus, and is therefore simply known locally as the brimstone. Its wing span size is 60–74 mm (2.4–2.9 in). It should not be confused with the brimstone moth Opisthograptis luteolata.
Aquilegia canadensis, the Canadian or Canada columbine, eastern red columbine, or wild columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America, prized for its red and yellow flowers. It readily hybridizes with other species in the genus Aquilegia.
The white-letter hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.
The small blue is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Despite its common name, it is not particularly blue. The male has some bluish suffusion at the base of its upper wings but is mostly dark brown like the female. The species can live in colonies of up to several hundred and in its caterpillar stage is cannibalistic.
Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.
The queen butterfly is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 80–85 mm. It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in a black border. The male has a black androconial scent patch on its dorsal hindwings. It can be found in meadows, fields, marshes, deserts, and at the edges of forests.
Polygonia interrogationis, commonly called the question mark butterfly, is a North American nymphalid butterfly. It lives in wooded areas, city parks, generally in areas with a combination of trees and open space. The color and textured appearance of the underside of its wings combine to provide camouflage that resembles a dead leaf. The adult butterfly has a wingspan of 4.5–7.6 cm (1.8–3.0 in). Its flight period is from May to September. "The silver mark on the underside of the hindwing is broken into two parts, a curved line and a dot, creating a ?-shaped mark that gives the species its common name."
Lycaena epixanthe, also known as the bog copper or cranberry-bog copper, is a North American species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Adults like to sip drops of dew clinging to leaves and almost exclusively nectar on their host plant, cranberries. Because of this, bog coppers will spend their entire lives within the area of a single acid bog. Even though their flight is weak and close to the ground, bog coppers are hard to catch because of the habitat in which they live. Also, 85% of the bog coppers life span is spent in the egg. It is listed as a species of special concern in the US state of Connecticut.
Erynnis brizo, the sleepy duskywing or banded oak duskywing, is a species of Hesperiidae butterfly that occurs throughout North America and is commonly confused with E. juvenalis and E. lucilius. The species is listed as threatened in Connecticut and Maine.
Erynnis persius, commonly known as Persius duskywing, is a species of butterfly in 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 in the Connecticut by state authorities.
The western tailed-blue is a Nearctic non-migratory butterfly that commonly takes flight during the spring and summer seasons of March–July. They can be best classified as having a presence of a tail on their hindwing, an upper surface that's bluish while the under surface is chalky-white with occasional black spots, and an orange spot toward the base of their tail. Their wingspan ranges from 0.875 to 1.125 inches. Larvae feed on various plant species including Astragalus, Lathyrus, Oxytropis, and Vicia. Adults feed on various things such as flower nectar, horse and coyote manure, urine, and mud.
Erynnis horatius, commonly known as Horace's duskywing, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the United States from Massachusetts to Florida, and west to eastern South Dakota, the Gulf Coast, south-eastern Utah, Colorado, north-eastern Arizona, and New Mexico. It is listed as a species of special concern in the US state of Connecticut.
Erynnis baptisiae, the wild indigo duskywing, is a species of butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from southern Ontario and New England, west to central Nebraska, and south to Georgia, the Gulf Coast, and south-central Texas.
Parnassius smintheus, the Rocky Mountain parnassian or Rocky Mountain apollo, is a high-altitude butterfly found in the Rocky Mountains throughout the United States and Canada. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). The butterfly ranges in color from white to pale yellow-brown, with red and black markings that indicate to predators it is unpalatable.
Callophrys nelsoni, or Nelson's hairstreak, is a species of butterfly belonging to the genus Callophrys, wingspan of approximately 1 to 1.5 inches. Like many members of the Lycaenidae family, this butterfly has distinctive rod-like antennae. Callophrys nelsoni are gernually found throughout the west coast of the United States. Although they can be found along the very bottom of Canada's British Columbia and down to Baja California Norte.