Silver-spotted Skipper
Epargyreus clarus (Cramer, 1775)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Eudaminae
Identification: Wings are brown-black; hindwing is lobed. Forewing has transparent gold spots; underside of hindwing has a metallic silver band.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm).
Life History: Adults perch upside down under leaves at night and on hot or cloudy days. To seek females males perch on branches and tall weeds, and occasionally patrol. Females lay single eggs near the host trees, and the caterpillars must find their proper host. Young caterpillars live in a folded leaf shelter; older ones live in a nest of silked-together leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from May-September in most of the East, a single brood to the north and west, three-four broods from February-December in the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Many woody legumes including black locust (Robinia pseudacacia), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and false indigo (Amorpha species). Also selected herbaceous legumes such s Glycyrrhiza species.
Adult Food: The Silver-spotted Skipper almost never visits yellow flowers but favors blue, red, pink, purple, and sometimes white and cream-colored ones. These include everlasting pea, common milkweed, red clover, buttonbush, blazing star, and thistles.
Habitat: Disturbed and open woods, foothill streamcourses, prairie waterways.
Range: Extreme southern Canada and most of the continental United States except the Great Basin and west Texas; northern Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes: Formerly in the subfamily Pyrginae.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 11234 verified sightings
Observation date: May 19, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Jun 01, 2024
Submitted by: aeheema@gmail.com
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 13, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: Marmour
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: yeraunt
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: Victoire Batiste
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 11, 2024
Observation date: Oct 23, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 04, 2024
Observation date: Aug 05, 2022
Submitted by: titoToucan
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Sep 23, 2024
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 28, 2024
Observation date: Sep 26, 2024
Submitted by: psmith
Region: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 27, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2021
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Sumter County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 23, 2024
Observation date: Sep 19, 2024
Submitted by: Kentonky41015
Region: Kenton County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Cass County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 16, 2024
Observation date: Sep 05, 2024
Submitted by: regina rochefort
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 05, 2024
Observation date: Sep 02, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2024
Submitted by: ButtahflyEtn37354
Region: Monroe County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Roberts County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2024
Submitted by: Jamesransbottom
Region: Allen County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 23, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Huron County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 20, 2024
Observation date: Aug 18, 2024
Submitted by: ruby_charlotte
Region: Oswego County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: Thyger
Region: Washington County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 17, 2024
Submitted by: regina rochefort
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Jul 31, 2024
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 16, 2024
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Summit County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
- 1 of 469
- next ›