Skippers

Skippers are not technically butterflies at all, but a group separate from both butterflies and moths. They are small,fluttering around rapidly, usually near the ground, and most are some shade of orange or brown. Their bodies are generally fuzzy and wide, similar to those of moths, but they have clubbed antennae, similar to those of true butterflies. Grass skippers rest with their wings up, or partially folded, whereas spread-wing skippers rest with them spread open.

Grass skippers

Butterflies	Size of Adult	Where found	When seen	Larval plants	Interesting facts
Least Skipper	0.7-1.0 inch	moist, grassy areas	May-Oct	various grasses including panic grass, Rice Cutgrass, Giant cutgrass	Smallest skipper
Fiery skipper	1-1.25 inch	open, grassy areas	May-Nov	various grasses, incl St Augustine, crabgrass, Bermuda grass, bentgrass	Loves asters for nectar
Checkered skipper (White/Common)	0.75-1 inch	open, disturbed sites, roadsides, old fields	May-Oct	various mallows - poppy mallow, false mallow, Indian hemp, broom weed	Common and White look identical. In NC, most are White
Common sootywing	1 inch	open, disturbed sites, along roads, old fields	April-Sept	Lamb's quarters, Mex. Tea, spiny amaranth
Swarthy skipper	1 inch	open fields, grasslands, roadsides	May-Sept	Little bluestem and Kentucky bluegrass	Larva roll themselves up in blades of grass
Pepper and salt skipper	1 inch	woodland margins, stream corridors	Apr-Aug	Indian grass, mannagrass,bluegrass, indian wildoats	Seen frequently in Chapel Hill; loves wild oats
Crossline skipper	1 inch	dry, grassy areas	May-Oct	Little Bluestem, Purpletop, manna and bluegrass	Frequents home gardens
Zabulon skipper	1-1.5 inch	open woodlands, roadsides, fields	Apr-Sept	Various grasses-Purpletop, Whitegrass, lovegrass	Male is orange, female drab
Little glassywing	1-1.5inch	moist, open woodlands, gardens	June-Oct	Grasses, including Purpletop	Name comes from translucent spot on wing
Sachem $C:\Users\Karen\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\sachem on zinnia.jpg$	1-1.5 inch	open, disturbed sites, gardens, forest edges	May-Nov	grasses, including Bermuda and crabgrass	Quick, darting flight. Very abundant.
Clouded skipper	1-1.5 inch	open woodlands, roadsides, fields	May-Nov	Grasses, including St Augustine, Plumegrass, rusty paspalum grass	Visitor to our county, can be common
Dun skipper	1-1.5 inch	moist areas, near deciduous woods, streams, roadsides	May-Sept	Various sedges, including upright sedge	Found frequently in home gardens
Ocola Skipper	1.5-1.75 inch	marshes, pond edges, roadsides, old fields, gardens	June-Oct	Various grasses, including southern cutgrass	Particularly abundant in the fall
Silver-spotted skipper	1.75-2.0 inch	open woodlands, roadsides, fields	May-Oct	legumes include beggarweeds, wisteria, kudzu, beans	Very large for a skipper, abundant

Spread-Wing Skippers

Butterflies	Size of Adult	Where found	When seen	Larval plants	Interesting facts
Southern Cloudywing $C:\Users\Karen\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\southern cloudywing.jpg$	1.2-1.6 inch	open, fields, woodland edges, gardens	May-Sept	var. legumes incl beggarweeds, bush clovers,butterfly pea, milk vetch	Nervous, hard to approach
Northern Cloudywing	1.2-1.7 inch	open woods, forest edges, old fields	Apr-Sept	Legumes, including beggarweeds, clovers, alfalfa, milkvetch and bushclover
Horace's Duskywing $C:\Users\Karen\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\horace's duskwing.jpg$	1.25-1.75	oak woodlands and scrub, forest edges, roadsides	May-Sept	Various Oaks	Abundant, frequent visitor to home gardens
Wild Indigo Duskywing	1.3-1.7 inch	open woods, forest edges, old fields	Apr-Oct	Various indigos, vetches, lupine	Common in late summer,
Juvenal's Duskywing	1.5-1.9 inch	oak woodlands and scrub, forest edges, roadsides	Mar-Jun	Various Oaks	Common spring butterfly

Girl Scout Butterfly Air Garden

Skippers