Wisconsin Native Caterpillars
Juvenal's Duskywing Caterpillar
Genus-Species: Erynnis juvenalis
Description: The caterpillar is greenish with a pale
yellow lateral stripe. The body is covered with tiny white dots. The head is brown with three
yellow-orange patches on each side.
Chrysalis: The chrysalis is dark green or brown.
Host Plants: Tree Oak, Scrub Oak.
Habitat: Woodlands and woodland edges where oaks
the larval host plants grow.
Comments: Juvenals Duskywing is a very common
butterfly throughout Wisconsin. The caterpillars develop rather slowly compared to most other
butterflies. They do not complete their growth until fall, during which time they hibernate for
the winter within a tubular retreat formed of rolled leaves and tied together with silk strands.
They do not pupate until the early spring.
Find instructions on how to design a butterfly-friendly habitat including a catalog of favorite flowers
guaranteed to attract butterflies.
Take this quick quiz and see how much you know about caterpillars. This quiz is intended for fun, in
a random-facts-can-be-cool kind of way.
How does this magic happen? Learn about metamorphosis - the process of transformation from an
immature form to an adult bitterfly.