Bug FAQPersius Duskywing
Erynnis persius · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
The Persius Duskywing is a small brown skipper with dark fore- and hindwings marked by clear spots and a gray patch at the end of the forewing cell. Males show raised white hairs on the forewings, while females have a scent-scale patch on the seventh abdominal segment. It lives across much of North America, from Alaska and western states down to Arizona and New Mexico, and also in the eastern US from New England to Wisconsin and Virginia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Both pairs of wings are dark brown, with the forewing bearing clear spots, faint markings, and a gray patch at the cell’s end. Male forewings have raised white hairs; female hindwings have a creamy-white fringe and a darker brown to black fringe. Females possess a scent-scale patch on the seventh abdominal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species ranges widely across North America, from Alaska through western states to Arizona and New Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on legumes such as lupine, golden banner, lotus, and related plants. Adult butterflies sip nectar from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation each year. Mature larvae hibernate and then pupate between April and June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius) is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be hard to tell apart from other duskywing skippers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 30 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Wyoming, Michigan, Washington, California, Idaho.
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
What plants do Persius Duskywing caterpillars eat?
The caterpillars feed on legumes such as lupine, golden banner, lotus, and other related plants.
Source: Wikipedia
When does the Persius Duskywing pupate?
Mature larvae pupate between April and June after hibernating.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does this butterfly have each year?
It produces a single generation annually.
Source: Wikipedia
Where in North America can I find Persius Duskywing?
It occurs from Alaska across the western United States to Arizona and New Mexico, and in the east from New England to Wisconsin and Virginia.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erynnis_persius
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.