The Mournful Duskywing is a dark brown color, with a white fringe around the lower wings. It is usually captured at lower elevations in the canyons of the Santa Ana Mountains. A few foothill records and a number of old coastal and low elevation inland records also exist. The Mournful Duskywing, like other duskywing skippers, is a strong flier and probably strays from breeding sites.
Fun Fact The Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia is the only known larval foodplant for tristis which occurs in Orange County. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico.