Wild indigo duskywing
Erynnis baptisiae
The wild indigo duskywing is a small, dark butterfly from the skipper family. Skippers are quick, darting butterflies. Its caterpillars grow up on wild indigo plants, which is how it got its name.
Lives in
North America, from southern Canada and New England to Georgia and Texas
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
The butterflies drink nectar from flowers. The caterpillars eat wild indigo, lupine and crown vetch.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
Wild indigo duskywing about 30 km/h (19 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It is named after its favourite plant, wild indigo.
2
Its caterpillars can also live on lupine and crown vetch.
3
It belongs to the skippers, butterflies with thick bodies that fly fast and in zigzags.
you asked
Most asked questions about Wild indigo duskywing
?Why is it called the wild indigo duskywing?
Because its caterpillars feed on wild indigo, and dusky means dark, like its wings.
?Is the wild indigo duskywing dangerous?
No. It is a harmless little butterfly.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Erynnis baptisiae
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Hesperiidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Hesperiidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Erynnis baptisiae (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Judy Gallagher. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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