Erynnis brizo
Size:
Wingspan is 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches.
Similar Species:
Dreamy Duskywing
Wild Indigo
Duskywing
Habitat:
Dirt roads, forest margins, clearcuts, power line clearings, mountain
tops, and other dry places near oaks.
Range/Abundance:
Uncommon in most
of the region. More common in the mountains, sandhills and piedmont. Rare
in the coastal regions.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from late March until late April in the piedmont and sandhills
and on into early June in the mountains in a single brood.
Larval Host Plants:
Oaks including Scrub Oak Quercus ilicifolia
Comments:
The female is the most colorful of the region's duskywings and is unmistakable.
The male on the other hand is problematic as it is resembles the smaller
male Dreamy Duskywing a great deal.
The difference in size usually is best way to tell the two apart but is
not always guaranteed. Dreamy Duskywing is typically a mountain species,
so if you’re far away from the mountains then Sleepy Duskywing males
are easy.
The top and second photos were taken in the Caswell Gamelands in Caswell Co., NC on April 12, 2003. The third photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on April 16, 2004. The bottom photo was taken in the Sandhills Gamelands in Richmond Co., NC on April 30, 2004.
