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 337 - 360 of 11237 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 26, 2022
Observation date: Jun 23, 2022
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 26, 2022
Observation date: Jun 29, 2017
Submitted by: HansPG
Region: Augusta County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 25, 2022
Observation date: Sep 30, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: Apr 23, 2021
Submitted by: lauraLOVESbirds
Region: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: May 13, 2021
Submitted by: EddieGarrity
Region: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: Apr 29, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Richmond, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: Jun 14, 2022
Submitted by: Chrysanthemum
Region: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: Jun 23, 2022
Submitted by: Sometimes
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 21, 2022
Submitted by: Lyndie Mason Warner
Region: Navajo County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jun 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 21, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 22, 2022
Observation date: Sep 29, 2012
Submitted by: Ronald van Oosteroom
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2021
Submitted by: c4c
Region: Bedford County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Oct 14, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: May 29, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2021
Submitted by: Pondboy
Region: Marion County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 19, 2022
Submitted by: RaeEllen
Region: Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 03, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 19, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2022
Submitted by: Lisa H
Region: Ottawa County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2022
Submitted by: Juliet C.
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 10, 2022
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 13, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 15 of 469
- next ›