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 601 - 624 of 4500 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 29, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 06, 2021
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 07, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Macon County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 05, 2021
Observation date: Oct 02, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Hyde County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Sep 10, 2021
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Sep 10, 2021
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Sep 10, 2021
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
Observation date: Sep 13, 2021
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: LauraSea
Region: Nassau County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2021
Submitted by: LauraSea
Region: Nassau County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Aug 17, 2021
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 28, 2021
Observation date: Sep 27, 2021
Submitted by: Saxtonine
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 28, 2021
Observation date: Sep 24, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 26, 2021
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 13, 2021
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 17, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 17, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 17, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 19, 2021
Submitted by: J Tinsman
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 23, 2021
Observation date: Sep 22, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 23, 2021
Observation date: Sep 05, 2021
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, Wichita County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 11, 2021
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Sep 07, 2021
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Sep 06, 2021
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
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