Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies ... Juvenal's Duskywing Skipper
Juvenal's Duskywing
Erynnis juvenalis
The first Skippers of the season have begun to show themselves around the meadows. Many locations we visited this day presented these dark colored spread-winged skippers along the roadways.
Their erratic flight and dark colors allowed them to easily disappear into the background.
The picture on the right has been tentively ID'd as a female by another person. I havent learned yet how they seperate males from females.
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 15/16 inches (3.2 - 4.9 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Tree and shrub oaks (Quercus species).
Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest in nests of rolled or tied leaves; fully-grown caterpillars hibernate.
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | (Arthropods) |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | (Hexapods) |
| Class | Insecta | (Insects) |
| Subclass | Pterygota | (Winged Insects) |
| Order | Lepidoptera | (Butterflies and Moths) |
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea | (Butterflies) |
| Family | Hesperiidae | (Skippers) |
| Subfamily | Pyrginae | (Spread-wing Skippers) |
| Genus | Erynnis | (Duskywings) |
| Species | juvenalis | (Juvenal's Duskywing) |
Note the curled tip of antenna characteristic of Skipper butterflies.
All pictures above taken May 15, 2008
Picture on left shows Juvenals Duskywing taken May 21, 2008 as it is leaving the ground.
The Juvenal's Duskywing is the most common of the spread wing skippers on Crex Meadows and in many locations in Wisconsin.
Their spring flight is the longest of the Spreadwings and you will encounter these guys anytime between late april and mid June (with the later june specimens very worn).
Sighting Dates:
My sightings charts are a work in progress. Early in my butterfly photography, I was learning what I was seeing. When I discovered Wisconsinbutterflies.org, my submissions were only undocumented or species that had no photos. I have gone through my photos from that year and was able to add sightings to make for a better accounting.
In 2009, I set a goal of trying to hit the meadows once a week to record the butterflies, but weather prevented some visits. Also, I did not keep a good record of how many were seen, so some sightings were locations seen at, not numbers of butterflies seen.
In 2010, I began to try to document actual numbers. For many of these guys, such as the Milberts tortoisehell, as of today, I have only seen single individuals, so those sightings are locations. If I reported 3 one week, it was three individuals that week, in different locations on Crex Meadows. So to use this charting to its best use, look for a general average sighting date over the years.
Also note, in 2010, butterflies across wisconsin were being reported two to three weeks earlier than normal.
Below is a location map where I have spotted Juvenal's on Crex Meadows.
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