Is the silver-spotted skipper a moth or a butterfly?
Skippers are a group of several families in the order Lepidoptera that have stout bodies and relatively small wings. They are day fliers like butterflies but are often dull-colored like most moths, with swift, bouncing and erratic flight.
What do silver-spotted skipper caterpillars eat?
The silver-spotted skipper caterpillar eats plants in the legume or Fabaceae family, especially the black locust, bush clover, and false indigo. The adult almost never gets nectar from yellow flowers!
Where are silver-spotted skippers found?
Silver-spotted skippers are common and can be found from northern Mexico to southern Canada, as well as most of the continental United States. In the West, they are absent from the Great Basin and West Texas, restricting themselves to more mountainous areas. You can find Silver-spotted skippers throughout Florida.
Do silver-spotted skippers migrate?
One flight, mid-June to mid-July in the north, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada; several flights, May to September in southern California and Northeast; nearly all year in Florida (Scott 1986).
What is the host plant for the silver-spotted skipper?
Black locust
Black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L., a host plant for the silver-spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus (Cramer).
Where do skipper butterflies lay eggs?
It lays its eggs upon the upper surface of the leaflets of locusts and other plants of the legume family. In less than a week each egg hatches into a little caterpillar with a very large head and a comparatively large body, tapering rapidly toward the hind end.
How long do skipper butterflies live?
Skipper butterfly comprises of the members of the Hesperiidae family, having more than 3500 recognized species divided into about eight families….
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Central and South America, parts of Europe, Australia and Africa |
| Lifespan of adults | 2 to 4 weeks |
Where are silver spotted skippers found in North America?
Silver-spotted skippers ( Epargyreus clarus) are found in grasslands and woodland edges across southern Canada, in most of the Lower 48 states, and into northern Mexico; and Brock and Kaufman call them “the most easily-recognized skipper across North America.”
What kind of plant is host to silver spotted skipper?
American hogpeanut, Amphicarpaea bracteata [L.] Fernald, a host plant for the silver-spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus (Cramer). Photograph by D.W. Hall, University of Florida.
What kind of skipper has a white spot on its wing?
Introduction (Back to Top) The silver-spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus (Cramer), characterized by a large white spot on the underside of each hind wing, is one of our largest, most widespread and most recognizable skippers.
What does a silver spotted skipper caterpillar do?
Like other skippers, Silver-spotted skipper caterpillars have a unique way of hiding from parasitic wasps that find hosts for their young by following the scent of caterpillar droppings (frass); see the final paragraph of this previous BOTW for details.