Funereal Duskywing
Erynnis funeralis
SKIPPER FAMILY (Hesperiidae)
The Funereal Duskywing has a wingspan of approximately 1.25 to 1.75 inches. It is a very dark butterfly with a conspicuous white fringe on the hindwing. The forewing is long and narrow with a brown patch at the end of the cell. The hindwing is squarish with a white fringe on the outer margin. The larva is pale green with a yellow sub-dorsal stripe and a dark mid-dorsal stripe. The head is black.
This is a rare butterfly in Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. There have only been a few records in about six counties in Nebraska. It is commonly found in the southern US and occasionally wanders northward as far as Nebraska. The individual shown here is very worn with only remnants of the white fringe still showing. It was photographed in Fontenelle Forest in mid-April.
The larvae eat the leaves of legumes such as vetch and alfalfa.
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