Thorybes pylades
Size:
Wingspan is 1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches.
Similar Species:
Southern Cloudywing
Confused Cloudywing (rare)
Habitat:
Power line clearings, gardens, old fields, roadsides, pine/oak scrub and
woodland borders. Prefers dry places over wet places.
Range/Abundance:
Common in the piedmont and sandhills.
Uncommon to rare in the coastal plain and mountains.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from late March until late August in two broods with a small
gap between broods.
Larval Host Plants:
Legumes including beggar's ticks Desmodium, bush clover Lespedeza,
clover Trifolium, lotus Hosackia
Comments:
Sometimes all three species of cloudywing can be seen together in the
sandhills. Northern Cloudywing is found in the same places as Southern
Cloudywing and in the spring they are more difficult to tell apart
as both species are poorly marked in the spring.
The top photo was taken in Hill Forest in Durham Co., NC on May 10, 2002.
The center photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on May 15, 2002. The bottom
photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on April 29, 2002.
