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Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus (Drury, 1773)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Antennae are very short. Male wide black stigma. Underside of the hindwing is scattered with small black spots. Female: Upperside is dark brown with a very irregular orange band. Underside of hindwing is pale brown with paler checks.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches (3.2 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Males perch in lawns and grassy swales to wait for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly under leaves and also on other plants and objects. Caterpillars eat leaves and roll and tie them to make shelters which lie horizontally in the sod.
Flight: Several broods from May-August in the north, all year in Florida and South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and other grasses.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of a variety of plants including sweet pepperbush, swamp milkweed, asters, sneezeweed, knapweed, ironweed, and thistles.
Habitat: Sunny, open areas such as fields, lawns, gardens, levees, roadsides, and second-growth scrub.
Range: Southern United States south through the West Indies and Central America to Argentina. Cannot survive harsh winters; each summer this skipper may stray and re-colonize north to northern California, southern Minnesota, southern Ontario, and southern New England.
Conservation: Not 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.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Hylephia phyleus
Hylephilia phyleus
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 409 - 432 of 4498 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: ArturoYee
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Feb 28, 2020
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Texas, Nueces County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Feb 28, 2020
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Texas, Nueces County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Mar 27, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2020
Submitted by: CaraLundquist
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 08, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 08, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 08, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 09, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 09, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: May 14, 2020
Submitted by: MimiDew
Region: Texas, Wood County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 25, 2020
Submitted by: Medina Molly
Region: Bandera County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chiapas, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chiapas, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2021
Submitted by: Terry Dowdy
Region: Texas, Williamson County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2021
Submitted by: Sapper Dan
Region: Bell County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Oct 04, 2022
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Oct 05, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2018
Submitted by: masyukun
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 02, 2022
Observation date: Oct 01, 2022
Submitted by: L.Hale
Region: Texas, Lubbock County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 02, 2022
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