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 1 - 24 of 11415 verified sightings
Observation date: May 21, 2026
Submitted by: Roose
Region: Saginaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Jul 10, 2026
Observation date: May 27, 2026
Submitted by: Roose
Region: Saginaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Jul 10, 2026
Observation date: Jun 06, 2026
Submitted by: Gruntaloob
Region: James City County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Jul 10, 2026
Observation date: Apr 27, 2026
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 09, 2026
Observation date: May 02, 2026
Submitted by: EddieGarrity
Region: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Jul 09, 2026
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: Stu Adams
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jul 08, 2026
Observation date: Jun 04, 2026
Submitted by: Luna1491
Region: Ionia County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Jul 08, 2026
Observation date: Jul 06, 2026
Submitted by: Rclements7051
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 08, 2026
Observation date: Jul 05, 2026
Submitted by: flicker788
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 07, 2026
Observation date: Jul 03, 2026
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2026
Observation date: Jun 23, 2026
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Lassen County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 04, 2026
Observation date: Jul 02, 2026
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2026
Observation date: Jun 29, 2026
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 29, 2026
Observation date: Jun 22, 2026
Submitted by: julmast
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 23, 2026
Observation date: Jun 15, 2026
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Hall County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Jun 22, 2026
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: LanaV
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 20, 2026
Observation date: Jun 19, 2026
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 19, 2026
Observation date: Jun 19, 2026
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jun 19, 2026
Observation date: May 19, 2026
Submitted by: Rgilson
Region: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 19, 2026
Observation date: Jun 14, 2026
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 15, 2026
Observation date: Jun 06, 2026
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 06, 2026
Observation date: Jun 03, 2026
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 06, 2026
Observation date: May 31, 2026
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 01, 2026
Observation date: May 30, 2026
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 31, 2026
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