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.
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 25 - 48 of 11359 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 01, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Scott County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 01, 2025
Observation date: Jul 17, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 01, 2025
Observation date: Aug 28, 2025
Submitted by: leskokid
Region: Monroe County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 29, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 27, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 28, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2025
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 27, 2025
Observation date: Aug 25, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Scott County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 24, 2025
Submitted by: psmith
Region: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 24, 2025
Submitted by: llawyer@indy.rr.com
Region: Hendricks County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: May 31, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: Aug 21, 2025
Submitted by: Lutya
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: May 31, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: Aug 07, 2025
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Jul 08, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Aug 18, 2025
Submitted by: NatLink25
Region: Jackson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 19, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2025
Submitted by: Lutherjj
Region: Douglas County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2025
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: michelle.b
Region: Chatham County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 12, 2025
Observation date: Jul 17, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 474
- next ›