Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Northern White-Skipper
Heliopetes ericetorum (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside of male is white with narrow black chevrons at the outer margins of wings; female has thicker, darker markings and black at the wing bases. Underside of both sexes is white with pale tan markings.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches (3.2 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: To find females, males patrol in canyon bottoms. Females deposit eggs singly on young leaves of the host plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves and live in shelters of rolled or tied leaves.
Flight: Several broods from April-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various mallows including globemallows (Sphaeralcea), hollyhock (Althaea), and mallow (Malva).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open woodland, chaparral, dry washes, desert mountains, arid land.
Range: Eastern Washington south to western Colorado, southern California, Arizona, Baja California, and northwest Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL

Verified Sightings

Displaying 25 - 48 of 343 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: davidmagney
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 22, 2021
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Observation date: Oct 20, 2021
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 20, 2021
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Observation date: Oct 15, 2021
Submitted by: CheddahCurt
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
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Observation date: Aug 25, 2021
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 25, 2021
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Observation date: Jun 13, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 21, 2021
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Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 15, 2021
  Details
Observation date: Jun 19, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 20, 2021
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Observation date: Apr 24, 2021
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 25, 2021
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Observation date: Sep 11, 2020
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 11, 2020
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Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: TracieHall
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 10, 2020
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Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 15, 2020
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Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 22, 2020
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Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 22, 2020
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Observation date: Jun 04, 2020
Submitted by: Brush_lady
Region: Benton County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 08, 2020
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Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: Brush_lady
Region: Benton County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 03, 2020
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Observation date: May 31, 2020
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
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Observation date: May 24, 2020
Submitted by: Papiliones
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 25, 2020
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Observation date: May 11, 2020
Submitted by: Axarus
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 12, 2020
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Observation date: Apr 13, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 14, 2020
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Observation date: Mar 26, 2020
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 26, 2020
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Observation date: Mar 05, 2020
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 06, 2020
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Observation date: Sep 19, 2019
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 21, 2019
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Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: gregslak
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
  Details
Observation date: Jul 02, 2019
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
  Details