Wild Indigo Duskywing (Vineyard Duskywings: the Genus Erynnis on Martha's Vineyard)

Wild Indigo Duskywing

Erynnis baptisiae

Description ²

Erynnis baptisiae (Wild Indigo Duskywing) is a fairly common species on Martha's Vineyard, exhibiting two and possibly three flight periods spanning from mid-May to late August. Periods of peak abundance typically fall in late May/early June and late July/early August. This species is a bit smaller than Juvenal's Duskywing and typically registers as a rather dark duskywing in the field. Wild Indigo Duskying shows distinct apical hyaline spots (the row of white, translucent dots near the tip of the wing) on the forewing, but these are much less strong than those shown by Juvenal's and Horace's. In addition, while Juvenal's and Horace's generally show a strong hyaline spot in the forewing cell, this spot is faint and sometimes absent in Wild Indigo Duskywing. There is generally an unpatterned brown patch along the forewing costa (leading edge), just inboard of the apical hyaline spots. Very fresh individuals often show distinctive purplish highlights in bright light. This butterfly is named for its usual host plant, with which it associates quite closely. While there are no September or October records for this butterfly from Martha's Vineyard, such reports are becoming more regular in mainland Massachusetts, presumably reflective of a partial third annual flight. This shift is presumably a result of climate change and should be looked for on Martha's Vineyard.

Sources and Credits

(c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Pelikan
Adapted by Matt Pelikan from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erynnis_baptisiae

More Info

iNat Map

‹ › ×