New Jersey Butterfly Club

Dreamy Duskywing

Erynnis icelus

Identification: Very small—1.2" (our smallest duskywing). Above: FW brown with an obvious silvery-gray patch at bend of wing and a gray, black-edged, chainlike pattern across the outer portion. No silvery spots are present in FW, but a small white dot is visible at leading edge of chainlike pattern. HW dark brown with a row of small, pale spots along the edge and other pale spots scattered in the outer half. Males can be separated from females by presence of costal fold along leading edge of FW. Below: FW and HW dark brown with pale spots on HW mirroring upperside. Other: Palps are longer than those of Sleepy Duskywing, but this is not always obvious. Other differences are that Dreamy is smaller than Sleepy, has a white dot on leading edges of FW, and has a well-defined silver patch at bend of wing. Dreamy emerges later, so that when Dreamy reaches its peak, Sleepies are worn.

NJ Status and Distribution: Resident. Uncommon and local in the northern counties. Apparently absent from Burlington and Ocean counties south.

Habitat: Dry, mixed, herbaceous/scrub-shrub fields, woodland edges and openings near host plants.

Flight Period: One brood from late April to late June, but most common from mid-May to early June. Extreme dates: 4/18—6/26.

Caterpillar Food Plants: Mainly shrub willows (Salix) and poplars (Populus).

Overwintering Stage: Caterpillar.

Good Locations: Sparta Mountain WMA, Mountainside Park, Sourland Mountain Preserve, Ramapo Mountain SF.

Comments: Adults of this tiny duskywing sometimes nectar at the bell-shaped flowers of blueberries (Vaccinium) and huckleberries (Gaylussacia). Although this species partially overlaps in range and flight period with Sleepy Duskywing, seldom are both species seen together, as they frequent habitats with different caterpillar food plants. Dreamy and Sleepy Duskywings differ from Juvenal's, Horace's, and Wild Indigo in that they lack glassy FW spots.