Grass Skippers
What are they?
A large group of mostly orange and brown, small to very small butterflies which generally inhabit open, grassy meadows, roadsides and wetlands. The grass skippers can often be identified by the distinctive way in which they hold their wings, with the hindwings held out flat and the forewings half erect. These species are fast and low fliers, with rapid wingbeats like those of some moths.
Identification
Though some species are fairly easy to identify, others can be very difficult and good views are not always easy to get. However, most species can be identified by the pattern on the underside of the hindwing and it is always a good starting point.
Swarthy Skipper Nastra lherminier
Wingspan: 0.9 inches. Flight time: June to September in two or more broods. Larval foodplant: Appears to feed on Little Beard-grass(Schizachyrium scoparius). An uncommon species of dry, grassy places where the larval foodplant grows. Perhaps best identified by its apparent complete lack of any features! On close inspection, note that on the underside of the hindwing, the veins are paler than the background.
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Clouded Skipper Lerema accius
Wingspan: 1.25 inches. Flight time: June to October in two or more broods. Larval foodplant: Known to eat a fairly wide range of grasses (Poaceae). An uncommon species which appears t be most often encountered locally as a late summer or fall immigrant from further south. An overall dark species with pale, silvery spots on the upper wing and a weak, curved line of pale spots on the underside of the hindwing.
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European Skipper Thymelicus lineola
Wingspan: 0.95 inches. Flight time: June to August. Larval foodplant: Grasses (Poaceae) - generally introduced, European species. Having been acidentally introduced into Ontario, Canada early in the 20th Century, this species has colonized North America rapidly and is now a widespread and often abundant species. In Cape May, however, it is rather localized and is currently known only from a few grassy meadows in the north of the county. A distinctive, bright orange butterfly with dark borders to the wings above and unmarked underwings.
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Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor
Wingspan: 0.9 inches. Flight time: May to October in two or more broods. Larval foodplant: Grasses (Poaceae). A fairly common species, usually found in grassy wetlands where it flits very low within stands of tall grass stems. Fairly easy to identify by its small size and bright orange hindwings with clear, dark brown borders.
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Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus
Wingspan: 1.2 inches. Flight time: June to October (occasionally later in mild years) in two or more broods. Larval foodplant: Grasses (Poaceae), especially courser genera such as crab-grasses Digitaria and Bermuda-grass Cynodon. A common species, which usually first appears as an immigrant from the south. A bright and well-marked species, often seen nectaring with Sachems in flower gardens and commonly seen in urban habitats. On the upperside, note the rather sharp,y pointed markings along the edges of the wings. The underside of the hindwing is distinctive, being mostly a fairly plain orange color with a few small, dark spots.
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Cobweb Skipper Hesperia metea
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: May to June. Larval foodplant: Beard-grasses (Andropogon and Schizachyrium). Locally common in sandy, dry, grassy areas. A rather grayish, unassuming species but with an intricate pattern of white lines and patches on the underside of the hindwing.
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Crossline Skipper Polites origenes
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: May to September in two broods. Larval foodplant: Grasses of open fields and meadows (Poaceae). A not uncommon species in dry, grassy places but usually low-flying amongst grass stems and easy to miss. The combination of upperwing pattern and the slightly curved line of pale spots on the underside of the hindwing is distinctive.
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Northern Broken-dash Wallengrenia egeremet
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: April to September in two broods. Larval foodplant: Panic-grasses (Panicum and Dichanthelium). A widespread species though generally only seen singly. The upperwing is very similar to the Polites species, being generally dark with an orangey leading edge to the forewing, but the broad band of pale marks on the underside of the hindwing helps to identify it.
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Little Glassywing Pompeius verna
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: June to August. Larval foodplant: Meadow grasses, especially Purpletop (Tridens flavus). A small, dark chocolate-brown species that flits quietly amongst stems of tall grasses, making it easily missed. Most similar to Crossline Skipper but darker and the line of spots on the underside of the hindwing is a little more irregular in appearance.
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Sachem Atalopedes campestris
Wingspan: 1.2 inches. Flight time: May to November in three broods. Larval foodplant: Grasses, especially crab-grasses (Digitaria spp.) and Bermuda-grass (Cynodon dactylon). By far the most common skipper in Cape May County and likley to be found in most habitats where there are flowering plants for the adults to obtain nectar. On the underside of the hindwing there is a broad but clear chevron of pale spots. This is a good butterfly to learn locally as it will be the yardstick to which many other skippers can be compared.
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Delaware Skipper Atrytone delaware
Wingspan: 1.2 inches. Flight time: June to August. Larval foodplant: Grasses (Poaceae). A local but not uncommon species in damp, grassy places, sometimes nectaring at roadside flowers. The most noticeable feature of this species is the amazingly intensely orange underside to the underwing.
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Rare Skipper Problema bulenta
Wingspan: 1.5 inches. Flight time: May to September in two broods. Larval foodplant: Tall Cordgrass (Spartina cynosuroides). A local and uncommon species, restricted to the Atlantic coast saltmarshes from New Jersey to Georgia. Can be locally common and will wander to nearby roadsides and gardens for nectar. Once learnt, the rich, butterscotch color to the underside of the hindwing is distinctive.
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Mulberry Wing Poanes massasoit
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: June to August. Larval foodplant: Sedges (Carex spp.). A very local species, favoring species-rich wetland plant communities. Adults are mos often found nectaring at the flowers of Pickerelweed. Underside of hindwing shows a band of pale marks which varies from yellowish to rich chestnut. The upperwings are generally uniformly dark brown, sometimes with just two or three small, pale spots.
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Zabulon Skipper Poanes zabulon
Wingspan: 1.2 inches. Flight time: May to October in two or three broods. Larval foodplant: Field grasses such as Purpletop (Tridens flava) and lovegrasses (Eragrostis spp.). Widespread and regularly found sunning along south-facing woodland and field edges and nectaring at flowers. Unusual for a skipper in that males and females are very different in appearance. A good key feature for identifying males underneath is the dark, square mark near the base of the leading edge of the hindwing. Females are a rich cinnamon brown with a whitish edge to the outer tip of the hindwing.
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Aaron's Skipper Poanes aaroni
Wingspan: 1.3 inches. Flight time: June to October in two broods. Larval foodplant: Probably saltmarsh grasses (Poaceae). Widespread but nowhere common, mostly found close to coastal saltmarsh areas. A relatively large species; the underside of the hindwing is a rather uniform sandy-orange with a sometimes conspicuous, pale streak running lengthwise across the middle.
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Broad-winged Skipper Poanes viator
Wingspan: 1.6 inches. Flight time: July to September. Larval foodplant: Coastal wetland grasses, including Common Reed (Phragmites communis). Widespread and quite common, having increased in more recent years, probably due to its acceptance of Common Reed as a larval foodplant. The largest of our grass skippers with a distinctively-marked underside to the hindwing - a band of pale marks is bisected by a long, straight-sided pale band running at right angles to it.
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Dion Skipper Euphyes dion
Wingspan: 1.4 inches. Flight time: July to August. Larval foodplant: Sedges (Carex spp.). A local species that is known from several old cranberry bogs in the north of Cape May County. Underside of hindwing similar to Aaron's Skipper but a richer orange in color, and there is two pale streaks running lengthwise.
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Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: June to October. Larval foodplant: Sedges (Carex spp.). Widespread but generally only seen singly. A small, unassuming species that usually remains close to the ground.
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Saltmarsh Skipper Panoquina panoquin
Wingspan: 1.1 inches. Flight time: June to September in two broods. Larval foodplant: Saltmarsh grasses (Poaceae). Widespread in coastal saltmarsh areas and often seen nectaring at flowers along the drier edges of saltmarshes on roadsides and tracks. The underside of the hindwing has the veins picked out in cream, with a prominent, bright white mark across the center.
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Ocola Skipper Panoquina ocola
Wingspan: 1.3 inches. Flight time: September to October as a non-breeding immigrant from the south. Larval foodplant: Grasses (Poaceae). An occasional immigrant from the south but occurs less than annually. Most often found nectaring at late-flowering garden plants, especially in the south of the county. A dark brown species with relatively long and narrow wings.
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Brazilian Skipper Calpodes ethlius
Wingspan: 1.75-2.4 inches. Flight time: September to October as a non-breeding immigrant from the south. Larval foodplant: Canna Lily (Cannaceae). A rare immigrant from the south that occurs less than annually. in 2018, unprecedented numbers appeared and the species was recorded breeding on garden cannas. An obviously large species with relatively long and narrow wings.
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