Bug FAQNorthern Cloudywing
Cecropterus pylades · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
The northern cloudywing has a wingspan of about 32 to 47 mm and dark brown wings marked with small clear triangles. It lives in open boreal woodlands, forest edges and fields across Canada from Nova Scotia westward and throughout the United States down to California. Adults lay single eggs under host-plant leaves and are on the wing from May to July in the north (one generation) and from March to September in the south (two generations).
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Both sexes have dark brown wings with small triangular clear spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 32 mm to 47 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay eggs singly on the underside of host-plant leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In northern areas adults fly from May to July with one brood, while in southern areas they fly from March to September with two broods.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found from Nova Scotia west across Canada and south into California and the rest of the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 47 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, California, Ohio, Michigan.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are northern cloudywings active?
They are on the wing from May to July in the north (one generation) and from March to September in the south (two generations).
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorybes_pylades
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.