Wisconsin Native Caterpillars
Sleepy Duskywing Caterpillar
Genus-Species: Erynnis brizo
Description: he caterpillar is light green with
a yellow lateral stripe. The body is covered with short hairs and minute white tubercles.
The head is brown and has a pair of bright orange dots, one along each side of the
facial region.
Chrysalis: The chrysalis varies in color from
dark green to brown.
Description: The caterpillar is light green with a
yellow lateral stripe. The body is covered with short hairs and minute white tubercles. The
head is brown and has a pair of bright orange dots, one along each side of the facial region.
Host Plants: Scrub Oak.
Habitat: Forest edges, open woodlands, and oak
barrens where its larval host plants, various species of oaks, are found.
Comments: The Sleepy Duskywing is one of the
earliest butterflies on the wing in the spring — besides species who overwinter as adults — and
has been seen as early as April 9 in Michigan. In central Wisconsin, they are most often seen
flying in May and become scarce in June.
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.