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 217 - 240 of 11234 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 06, 2022
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 01, 2022
Observation date: Oct 05, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Oct 01, 2022
Submitted by: bjones7777
Region: Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 24, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 01, 2022
Observation date: Sep 29, 2022
Submitted by: speele
Region: Pickens County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 30, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Otero County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 25, 2022
Observation date: May 17, 2022
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 24, 2022
Observation date: Sep 21, 2022
Submitted by: davidwasser51
Region: Riley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: Colbert County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Sep 01, 2022
Submitted by: jwt200
Region: Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 22, 2022
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: mikeconley
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 17, 2022
Observation date: Sep 10, 2018
Submitted by: Ferny
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: mikeconley
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 13, 2022
Submitted by: Sherry in Kansas
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 13, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Jun 21, 2019
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 13, 2022
Observation date: Sep 11, 2022
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Sep 11, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 11, 2022
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: Vee Huisman
Region: Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 01, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 20, 2022
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Van Buren County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2022
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
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