Zabulon Skipper
Poanes zabulon (Boisduval & Leconte, [1837])
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Male black borders and no stigma. Underside of hindwing is mostly yellow with a dark brown wingbase and outer margin. Female: Upperside is purple-brown with pale yellow spots; underside of hindwing is brown and purple-gray with a white-edged costal margin.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches (3.5 - 4.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch in sunlit openings or edges on leaves about 3-5 feet above the ground. They appear to defend their territory and may keep a perch for up to a week. Courtship usually occurs in the afternoon. Females lay eggs singly under the host leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves and make shelters of silk-tied leaves.
Flight: Two broods from May-September in the north; several broods all year in the tropical highlands.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses including lovegrass (Eragrostis), purpletop (Tridens), bluegrass (Poa), wheatgrass (Agropyron), orchardgrass (Dactylis), wildrye (Elymus), and bentgrass (Agrostis).
Adult Food: Nectar from a variety of flowers including the exotics Japanese honeysuckle, red clover, everlasting pea, and selfheal; and the natives blackberry, purple vetch, common milkweed, buttonbush, joe-pye weed, and thistles.
Habitat: Brushy openings near moist forests and streams.
Range: Massachusetts west through southern Michigan to central Kansas; south to central Florida, southern Louisiana, and northeast Texas. Strays to New Mexico, South Dakota, and southern Quebec. A separate population ranges from central Mexico south to Panama.
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.
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 2605 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: tom nolan
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 25, 2024
Observation date: Aug 07, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 21, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2023
Submitted by: zebrafinch19
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 17, 2024
Observation date: Jun 17, 1996
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Grayson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 17, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2018
Submitted by: XplorMor Intern...
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Jul 30, 2020
Submitted by: janetslingerland
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: May 01, 2021
Submitted by: kearins
Region: District of Columbia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Aug 15, 2022
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
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: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: Blond crestedwarbler
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2024
Submitted by: B Reinsel
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: Stephanie Claus
Region: Ocean County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Sep 06, 2024
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 07, 2024
Observation date: Aug 07, 2024
Submitted by: Kansasbirder
Region: Riley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 04, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: rarluck@gmail.com
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: rarluck@gmail.com
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: rarluck@gmail.com
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: rarluck@gmail.com
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: rarluck@gmail.com
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 11, 2024
Submitted by: Doug DeNeve
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Bouman
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 18, 2024
Submitted by: Chet Gottfried
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 21, 2024
Observation date: Aug 18, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 11, 2024
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
- 1 of 109
- next ›