Hoary edge
Achalarus lyciades
Butterfly
The hoary edge is a broad-winged skipper named for the pale, frosted edge on the hindwing underside. Larvae feed on legumes such as tick-trefoils, bush-clovers, and wild indigos, including Baptisia in garden-facing host lists. Adults visit flowers for nectar, but the important support move is maintaining sunny native legume patches and leaving enough host foliage for leaf-sheltering caterpillars.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 1
NC State lists hoary edge (Achalarus lyciades) among the documented Lepidoptera larvae hosted by blue false indigo.
Range
Eastern and central North America, especially open woodland edges, prairies, barrens, and legume-rich clearings.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Hoary edge (Achalarus lyciades). Retrieved 2026, June 27, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/achalarus-lyciades
Sources for wildlife facts
7 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
BAMONA: Hoary Edge Achalarus lyciades
Species profile used for range, flight-season, and legume larval-host context.
Backs 4 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle
Host plants
BugGuide: Achalarus lyciades
Identification and host-plant cross-check for hoary edge.
Backs 3 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Host plants