Bug FAQJuvenal's Duskywing
Erynnis juvenalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
Source: Wikipedia
Juvenal's Duskywing is a relatively large dark-brown skipper with a wingspan of about 30 to 37 mm. It lives in oak woods across eastern North America, from southern Manitoba to Florida, and its caterpillars eat oak leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Look for two to four white spots on each forewing. Check the underside of the hindwing for two spots near the upper margin; these are unique to this species.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 30 to 37 mm, making it larger than most eastern duskywings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is common in oak woodlands throughout eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on oak leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In the east it has one generation that flies from May to late June; in the southwest it can have a second summer generation.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults appear in spring in the east and in both spring and summer in the southwest.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from southern Manitoba and Quebec down to Texas and Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Similar species include Horace's duskywing and Zarucco duskywing.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 44 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Ohio.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Can they damage my garden?
Their larvae feed on oak leaves, so they may affect oak trees in a garden or landscape.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesta_juvenalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.