Erynnis brizo burgessi

Photo Life History:  Erynnis telemachus

Habitat:  Mountain Canyons; Desert Hills & Mountains

Host Plants:  Quercus gambellii; Quercus turbinella

Suitable Lab Host Plants:   Quercus alba

Caring for Live Female Butterflies:  Nectaring techniques

Methods of Female Oviposition:  Erynnis females can be somewhat uncooperative at laying eggs in captivity.

How to Find Eggs:  Look on Host Plants with New Growth  (This is critical.  Eggs turn orange after having been laid.  This makes them a little more conspicuous.  Sometimes females will oviposit on seedlings.)

How to Hatch Eggs:  Consolidate eggs into one container. 

How to Find Caterpillars in the Field: Look for Skipper Nests

Caterpillar setups:  Using the open terrarium or open bucket technique, place hatchling first instars on tender leaves of oaks. 

Larva to Pupa:  Larva Changes Color before hibernating as mature last instar caterpillar.

How to Find Pupae in the Field:  Extremely difficult since larvae pupate in leaf litter in the spring.

Number of Broods per Year:  1

Overwintering Stage:  Mature Fifth Instar Larva

Overwintering Strategies:  Your Own Backyard.  (Expose larvae to intermittent humidity and some airflow.) 

Post-Hibernation Strategies: Expose post-diapause larvae to warmer temperatures and intermittent humidity.  Larvae will then pupate.

Avoiding Diapause Techniques:  Sometimes larvae will pupate in the fall if reared in the lab.  If they do, they are committed to emerge in the fall and will not overwinter.

Disease Prevention: Change out host plant and remove frass every four to five days using the open terrarium technique. 

Emergence:  Emergence Container

Field Notes:  Larvae have been found on Quercus turbinella at Leeds Canyon, Washington County, Utah on seedlings right along the canyon dirt road in the late summer/early fall.