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| Funereal Duskywing butterfly (Erynnis funeralis ) in Mother Nature's Backyard |
Despite the
drought, it’s shaping up as a good year for butterflies in local gardens. This may be due in part to difficult
conditions in the wilds; many larval food plants (and water) are unavailable. We’ve spoken before about the importance of
native plant gardens when times get tough: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/11/maintaining-your-new-california-garden_15.html
In
Mother Nature’s Backyard, we’ve already seen a first wave of the smaller
butterflies known collectively as ‘Skippers’ (family Hesperiidae). The Skippers are somewhat different in
appearance and separated from other common butterflies in terms of their
evolution. While many local Skippers are
yellow-orange and black (or white and black), one group is notable for its dark
color and medium size. These are the
Duskywing butterflies, grouped in the genus Erynnis. If you’ve seen
a very dark 1 ½ inch (4 cm) butterfly flitting through your garden it’s likely
a Duskywing.
The Duskywings are classified as spread-wing
Skippers, a group that’s typically dark brown in color. Its members hold both
sets of wings open when perching, while other Skippers perch with wings closed. The genus Erynnis contains a number of
species, 17 of which are native to N. America.
Duskywing species are quite similar in appearance, making them very
difficult to tell apart, even from a good photograph. The
most accurate way to determine the species is by examining differences in their
sexual organs under the microscope.
Six
Duskywing species are known to inhabit Los Angeles County (see below); most are
found only in the wilds, where their larval food plants are common. Of the
six, the Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) is by far the most likely to visit local gardens;
another possible candidate is the Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) and possibly the Afranius
Duskywing (Erynnis
afranius).
Name | Distinguishing characteristics | Adult food | Larval food |
Afranius Duskywing Erynnis afranius | Hindwing fringe pale tips Upper side medium brown Upper wing white spotted Males perch in swales, gullies; wild lands | Flower nectar | Legumes including: deervetch (Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius), Lupine (Lupinus spp), Milkvetch (Astragalus spp), Spanish Clover (Lotus purshianus), Thermopsis |
Sleepy Duskywing Erynnis brizo | Upper forewing black-brown; blue-brown spots. Hindwing brown with lighter brown spots Oak-pine, forest edges | Flower nectar: blueberry, dandelion, violets, strawberries | Native Quercus including: Quercus dumosa ; other Quercus spp. |
Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis | Forewing narrow, pointed Upper side dark brown-gray White fringe, hind wing Local gardens | Flower nectar: California buckwheat; Black sage; Stachys spp. | Legumes including: Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius, Medicago species, Olneya tesota. alfalfa and vetch (Vicia) |
'Californian' Pacuvius Duskywing, Erynnis pacuvius callidus | Milky white spots, upper wing of males Hooked antennae | Flower nectar | Ceanothus species |
Western Oak Duskywing, Erynnis propertius | Larger size Brown hindwing fringe Hilltopping; puddling Wild lands (foothills) | Flower nectar | Native Quercus including: Quercus agrifolia |
Mournful Duskywing Erynnis tristis | White fringe, hindwing Mostly wild lands | Flower nectar: mints, Salvia spp., lavenders, Verbena, garden flowers | Quercus including: Quercus agrifolia, Q. lobata, Q. douglasii, non-native oaks |
The
species range for local Duskywings is largely limited by their larval food
plants. Three of the six require native oaks (Quercus species) for breeding, including
the Mournful Duskywing. If you live in
an area with oaks, Mournfuls may visit your garden. The Pacuvious Duskywing requires Ceanothus
species – in greater abundance than found in most gardens. The Afranius and Funereal Duskywings utilize
a number of native and non-native legume species, making them the best candidates
as garden visitors.
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| Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) in flight |
Funereal
Duskywings are difficult to photograph. They
are rapid, erratic flyers, moving from flower to flower surprisingly
quickly. We’ve had our best luck capturing
them nectaring on Black Sage (Salvia
mellifera). Be patient and use a
telephoto lens; they sometimes rest with wings outstretched (cool days) or
closed (in hot sun).
The
Funereal Duskywing is a small-medium butterfly 1 ½ to 1 ¾ inches (3.4 - 4.5 cm) wide. It ranges from Southern California, Arizona,
New Mexico and Texas south to Argentina and Chile, although it sometimes strays
further north. Several characteristics differentiate it from
other local Duskywings: 1) its forewing is narrow and pointed, while its
hindwing is triangular; 2) the hindwings have a distinctive white fringe,
visible on both the upper and lower sides of the wing (clearly visible whether
the wings are open or closed – even in flight).
Only one other local Duskywing – the Mournful – has white wing fringes.
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| Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) - front (upper) side |
While
the overall color of Erynnis funeralis
is dark brown, the coloration is more complex and varied than you might expect. As seen above, the front side of the forewing
is marked with subtle blotches of gray and lighter brown. The patterns on the
forewing extend almost to the edge of the wing and there is a larger, pale
splotch (in ours a ring) near the top. The
hindwing has a overall coppery cast, in addition to the distinctive white
fringe.
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| Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) - back side |
While
the adults utilize a range of flowers, they seem particularly fond of Black
sage (Salvia mellifera) in our
gardens; we’ve also seen them nectaring on the Woodmints (Stachys species) and other plants in the Mint family. Adults are known to ‘puddle’ (sip moisture
and minerals from mud or moist sand), although we’ve not observed this (our
garden is likely too dry).
Funereal
Duskywings have three broods a year, during warm weather from March to
December. In our area they typically fly
from February or early March to early May (first
generation), mid-May to late June or
July (second generation) and late summer to October or November (third
generation). We often see an
uptick in numbers in March and again in June/July.
The
single, yellow eggs are deposited on the leaves of the host plant. Host plants are a range of legumes (family Fabaceae) including Deervetch (Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius), Medicago species (alfalfa; Bur-clovers), Olneya tesota (Desert ironwood) and vetch (Vicia species) Larvae are
pale, translucent green with faint lines and a dark gray head. Caterpillars eat the leaves and form simple
shelters of rolled leaves. It takes
about 35 days to progress from egg to adult.
For more pictures and information on Funereal Duskywings see:
If you live near oak trees, you may also see the Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis). This is our second ‘white fringed’ species;
it can be distinguished from Erynnis funeralis by a row of long white spots near
the margin of the underside of the hindwing.
This species flies at the same time as the Funereal Duskywing, with
three broods a year. It nectars on a
wide range of native and non-native plants including Verbenas,
Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon species),
California Buckeye (Aesculus californica), native
buckwheats (Eriogonum species), Milkweeds
and other garden flowers, especially the Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii).
Larval foods include Coast liveoak (Quercus
agrifolia) and other native and non-native oaks.
For more on the Mournful Duskywing see:
The Afranius Duskywing (Erynnis afranius) is slightly smaller than Erynnis funeralis and has pale-tipped wing fringes, rather than
white. Like the Funeral Duskywing, its
larvae require legumes, including Deervetch
(Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius), Lupines (Lupinus species), Spanish Clover (Lotus
purshianus), the
Goldbanners (Thermopsis species) and
Milkvetch (Astragalus species). We
have not found records of this species in gardens, however its range, habitat
and food requirements suggest it may do so.
For more on
Afranius Duskywing see:
For
pictures and information on the 'Californian' Pacuvius
Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius
callidus) see:
For
pictures and information on the Western Oak Duskywing (Erynnis
propertius) see:
We encourage your comments below.
If you have questions about Duskywing butterflies or other gardening
topics you can e-mail us at : mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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