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 25 - 48 of 4451 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 17, 2025
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 17, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2025
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 11, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 12, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Scott County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 21, 2025
Submitted by: Sophia Reyes
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 08, 2025
Observation date: Aug 30, 2025
Submitted by: hrr705
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 31, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 02, 2025
Observation date: Aug 31, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 02, 2025
Observation date: Aug 26, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 27, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2025
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2025
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2025
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 20, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Bluefox122
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Sophia Reyes
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Aug 15, 2025
Submitted by: kjaldridge
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 16, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2025
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: SmolSeaTurtle
Region: El Paso County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 12, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: Allison Barta
Region: Cass County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Nov 08, 2024
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Jul 10, 2025
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 08, 2025
Observation date: Aug 02, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 04, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 25, 2025
Observation date: Oct 27, 2020
Submitted by: beverlynantz
Region: Harlan County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
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