Peck's Skipper Butterfly - Polites peckius |
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| Identification: Upperside of male is brown with reddish-orange patches; forewing has a sinuous stigma. Female is darker with no stigma. Underside of the hindwing of both sexes has a patch of large yellow spots in the center surrounded by dark brown. Life history: Males perch in sunny open areas to await receptive females, and courtship takes place throughout the day. Females lay eggs singly; caterpillars eat leaves and live in leaf shelters. Caterpillars and chrysalids hibernate. Flight: Two to three broods from May-October. Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm). Caterpillar hosts: Rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides); probably bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and others.
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Peck's skipper at Science Lake, Allegany State Park, New York.
All adult true skippers have six well developed legs. Their eggs are tiny, usually less than .1mm. Most skipper caterpillars are green and tapered, and the neck appears constricted. The caterpillars weave silk and leaves into a daytime shelter for protection. Most pupate in loosely woven cocoons. The chrysalises are often coated with a powder or bloom. Chrysalis and caterpillars may overwinter.
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Silver Spotted Skipper | Southern Broken Dash | ![]() Little Glassywing | ![]() Long-tailed Skipper |
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Family Hesperiidae: Skipper Butterflies comprise nearly 3,000 species worldwide, 250 of which call North America home. Roughly one third of North American butterflies belong to this family. Skippers are named for their rapid, erratic flight. Skippers differ from the true butterflies in their proportionately larger bodies, smaller wings, and hooked antennae, among many other structural differences. The skipper family is further divided into subfamilies. Skippers can be the most difficult butterfly species to identify; their markings are maddeningly similar. |