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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 145 - 168 of 11234 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 19, 2023
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 29, 2023
Observation date: Jul 25, 2023
Submitted by: Mindyjc
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 27, 2023
Observation date: Jul 26, 2023
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 27, 2023
Observation date: Jul 07, 2023
Submitted by: carriebutterfly
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 27, 2023
Observation date: Jul 23, 2023
Submitted by: ELFredrickson
Region: Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 26, 2023
Observation date: Jul 25, 2023
Submitted by: Leo York
Region: Anderson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 25, 2023
Observation date: Jul 23, 2023
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 24, 2023
Observation date: Jul 15, 2023
Submitted by: Alienj
Region: Boone County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2023
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2023
Submitted by: Don Marotte
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 07, 2023
Submitted by: KitButterlie2023
Region: Newton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 07, 2023
Submitted by: KitButterlie2023
Region: Newton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 17, 2023
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 19, 2023
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2023
Submitted by: xBISsped6
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 20, 2023
Observation date: Jun 22, 2023
Submitted by: Debo
Region: Montgomery County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 18, 2023
Submitted by: janders31
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2023
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jun 30, 2023
Submitted by: mpickens1
Region: Houghton County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 09, 2023
Submitted by: heather-russell
Region: Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2023
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 13, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2023
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 13, 2023
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