Common Name: Persius Dusky-Wing
Locally common in a wide variety
of habitats from sea level (including the Central Valley) to 7000',but rarely
seen on the East slope. Many of its colonies are transient, especially at low
elevation where its hosts are often annuals.It often disappears from an area
for years on end, then reappears suddenly. It has, however, been a long-term
permanent resident
at Lang Crossing. This is the only small Dusky-Wing with multiple broods--three
at 5000'. This in itself is a valuable aid to identification.
Males are good puddlers and often
fly in circles around patches of the host plant.
They are avid visitors to Pink Dogbane and Vetch flowers and often visit
others. They usually occur in the open, along streamsides, in grassland or
rocky balds, but also along roads through mesic mid-elevation forest. There are
differences in details of the wing pattern between the spring and later broods.
The well-developed light spot on the forewing
upperside at the end of the discal
cell is a good way to tell this species
from E. pacuvius.
The hostplants are all Fabaceae,
including both annual and perennial
species of the genus
Lotus. Spanish Lotus, L. purshianus, is a frequent choice at low
elevation. The introduced
perennial, Bird's-Foot Trefoil (L. corniculatus) does not seem to be
used.