Juvenal's duskywing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Juvenal's duskywing |
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| Ottawa, Ontario | |
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Erynnis
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E. juvenalis
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| Erynnis juvenalis (Fabricius, 1793)
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The Juvenal's duskywing (scientific name: Erynnis juvenalis) is a type of butterfly. It belongs to the skipper family, which are known for their fast, darting flight. This butterfly is quite common in many parts of eastern North America.
Where does the Juvenal's Duskywing live and what does it look like?
You can often find the Juvenal's duskywing in oak forests across eastern North America. They live from southern Manitoba in Canada, all the way down to Texas and Florida in the United States. They also live in southern Quebec and Nova Scotia.
This butterfly is a dark-brown color. It is larger than many other duskywings you might see. Its wings can spread about 30 to 37 millimeters wide. That's about the length of a few paper clips!
Juvenal's duskywings usually have one group of babies (called a "brood") each year. In the eastern parts of their home, they appear from May to late June. But in the southwest, they can have two broods, one in spring and another in summer.
Both male and female Juvenal's duskywings have two to four white spots on their front wings. Females usually have front wings that look grayer. Their markings are also bolder, making them stand out more. Both males and females have two special spots near the top edges of the underside of their back wings. These spots help scientists tell them apart from other similar butterflies.
The caterpillars of the Juvenal's duskywing mainly eat the leaves of oak trees.
Similar species
It can sometimes be tricky to tell the Juvenal's duskywing apart from other similar butterflies. Here are a few that look alike:
- Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius)
- Zarucco duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)
