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 433 - 456 of 11238 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 10, 2019
Submitted by: vamayo
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 18, 2021
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2021
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Jul 19, 2021
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Jul 21, 2021
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 17, 2021
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 04, 2021
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Aug 20, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Jul 28, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 27, 2019
Submitted by: aodonne3
Region: Talbot County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 14, 2019
Submitted by: LadyAshleyR
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 27, 2021
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: Darrin Frye
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: mrkellermann
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 25, 2021
Observation date: Sep 30, 2021
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 17, 2021
Observation date: Oct 11, 2021
Submitted by: Roose
Region: Saginaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 14, 2021
Observation date: Apr 15, 2019
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 09, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 08, 2021
Observation date: Sep 26, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Sumter County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 07, 2021
Observation date: Sep 10, 2021
Submitted by: L Reid
Region: Cumberland County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 03, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2021
Submitted by: alaimins
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 01, 2021
Submitted by: alaimins
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 30, 2021
Observation date: Aug 01, 2021
Submitted by: alaimins
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 19 of 469
- next ›