Common Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius communis (Grote, 1872)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside of male is blue-gray; female is black. Both sexes have large white spots which form median bands across both wings. Fringes of male checkered but black checks often reach only halfway to edge of fringe. Male has a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the upperside of the forewing. Underside is dull white with dark gray or olive bands. Spots of the hindwing marginal row are very small; spots of the submarginal row are larger. This species is separated from the white checkered skipper with confidence only by dissection and examination of the male genitalia.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Males patrol in swales most actively in the afternoon, and mating takes place then. Females lay eggs singly on leaf buds and tops of leaves. Adults roost exposed on a tall plant beginning in late afternoon. Caterpillars make folded-leaf nests in which they live and feed, and fully-grown caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: February-October in the Deep South, March-September in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Several plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae) including globemallows (Sphaeralcea), mallow (Malva), hollyhock (Althaea), alkali mallows (Sida), velvet-leaf (Abutilon), and poppy mallow (Callirhoe).
Adult Food: Nectar from white-flowered composites including shepherd\'s needles, fleabane, and asters; also red clover, knapweed, beggar\'s ticks, and many others.
Habitat: Open, sunny places with low vegetation and some bare soil including prairies, meadows, fields, roadsides, landfills, yards, gardens, pastures, openings and trails in woods.
Range: Most of the temperate United States south to Gulf coast, w. Texas, se. Arizona, southern California, and mountains of northern Mexico. Colonizes as far north as central Alberta, southern Ontario, and southern New England. It cannot survive very cold winters and may not be a permanent resident north of the 40th parallel.
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 genus Pyrgus
Alternate Scientific Names:
Pyrgus communis
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 73 - 96 of 3449 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 19, 2022
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region:
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 05, 2023
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region:
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 04, 2023
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 28, 2022
Observation date: Nov 04, 2022
Submitted by: tom howe
Region: Blount County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Nov 09, 2022
Observation date: Apr 10, 2018
Submitted by: 428papidenuit
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Nov 08, 2022
Observation date: Oct 25, 2022
Submitted by: Tabatha.Palomo
Region: Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 25, 2022
Observation date: Oct 21, 2022
Submitted by: spmaestro
Region: Ellis County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 24, 2022
Observation date: Dec 28, 2021
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 22, 2022
Observation date: Oct 21, 2022
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Oct 05, 2022
Submitted by: TLee58flyinflowers
Region: Fayette County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Oct 16, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: PONYRCR
Region: Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 13, 2022
Observation date: May 16, 2021
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Apr 07, 2021
Submitted by: Davi
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: May 25, 2021
Submitted by: ffejchadwick
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: May 24, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Crosby County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 07, 2022
Observation date: May 23, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Crosby County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 07, 2022
Observation date: Oct 03, 2022
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Oct 05, 2022
Observation date: Sep 09, 2022
Submitted by: Vee Huisman
Region: Salem County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Oct 03, 2022
Observation date: Sep 26, 2022
Submitted by: ofdewdrops
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 01, 2022
Observation date: Sep 25, 2022
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 29, 2022
Observation date: Sep 27, 2022
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 28, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2022
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Yellowstone County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 4 of 144
- next ›