billhubick's Identifications

Butterfly on a hot, dry hilltop. It rested on Chamise shrub, then flew a few feet over onto scrub oak. Link to scrub oak observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/208835572

Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo) is a small butterfly in the Skippers (Hesperiidae) family with a wingspan of 1.25 - 1.5 inches. It is an uncommon resident in Monterey County. It has one flight per year, March-early June. Larval food plant is Scrub Oak. It is an avid hilltopper that is found on ridges and peaks in chaparral that has scrubby oaks. There are several species.

Butterflies of Monterey County, pp. 164-165.

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/8

Link to confirmed observation(s) nearby: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/166732110

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Butterfly and Caterpillar (References in general)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023, pp.xx and Butterflies of Monterey County (companion website to text): https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock,, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and
Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Lotus Hairstreak COMPARED to (rare) Coastal Green Hairstreak:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lotus Hairstreak (Callophrys dumetorum) A.k.a. Bramble Hairstreak or Bramble Green Hairstreak. Small butterfly with 1 - 1.25 inch wingspan. It flies March-June in coastal scrub and chaparral habitat. Adults nectar on buckwheat blossoms. Favorite larval foodplant is Deerweed (Acmispon glaber). Common resident on the Monterey Peninsula. (Compare to similiar in appearance, more rare Coastal Green Hairstreak (C. viridis), Tenney, pp. 66-67.)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 64-65.

Link to confirmed Lotus Hairstreak observation nearby: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/111995110

BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Callophrys+dumetorum

Butterflies and Moths of North America: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Callophrys-dumetorum

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, pp. 92-93.

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 48.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

COMPARED TO

Coastal Green Hairstreak (Callophrys viridis)
Conservation Status: Imperiled (N2N3) in United States (NatureServe).
Small butterfly with a wingspan of 1. - 1.25 inches. Habitat is coastal dunes. It has one flight April - June. Larval food plant is wild buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium). Adult nectar plant is seaside fiddleneck. Distribution in Monterey County: known only from the immediate coastal zone, Salinas River mouth to Fort Ord Dunes State Park.
It looks similar to Bramble Green Hairstreak, but often has more intense blue-green below, more well-defined rows of white spots, white underside of the antennae, and a white marginal fringe.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 66-67.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of moths, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families.”
Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020, p. 347-348.

Other Butterfly and Caterpillar References:

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock,, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Wagner's Caterpillars of Western North America (coming soon) "1450+ species accounts in progress" INat thebals 6/6/23.