Invertebrates
Silver-Spotted Skipper
Epargyreus clarus · also called silver-spotted skippers
A silver-spotted skipper zips past in a fast, direct burst of flight, flashing the bright metallic-silver patch on the underside of its hindwing, a marking bold enough to identify the species at a glance even to someone who has never seen one before.
Overview
The silver-spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus, is a large, fast-flying skipper native to grassland and other open habitat across a very broad range spanning most of the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. Its bold metallic hindwing patch, strong and direct flight style, and status as one of the most widespread skippers in North America make it one of the more easily recognised and commonly encountered members of its family.
A butterfly that flies like it means it
Where many butterflies drift and flutter, the silver-spotted skipper commits to fast, strong, purposeful flight, a style distinctive enough on its own to hint at the skipper family identity before its silver hindwing patch even comes into view.
Status
Least Concern — extremely widespread and common across suitable grassland and open habitat throughout most of North America.
Silver-Spotted Skipper: common questions
Why is it called the silver-spotted skipper?
This species displays a bright, metallic-silver patch on the underside of each hindwing, a bold and reflective marking clearly visible even while the butterfly is in flight, distinctive enough to give the species its common name and make it one of the more instantly recognisable skippers found in North America.
How is a skipper different from a typical butterfly?
Skippers, including this species, generally have a stockier body, a larger head relative to their body size, and a noticeably fast, strong, direct flight style compared with the more graceful, fluttering flight typical of many other butterflies, differences reflected in the group's common name and often used to identify a skipper at a glance even before examining wing pattern details.
What does a silver-spotted skipper caterpillar look like?
This species' caterpillar has a distinctive bright red-orange head capsule contrasting sharply with a yellowish-green body, a colour combination that makes it fairly identifiable even before it reaches adulthood, and it builds a protective shelter by folding and tying together leaves of its host plant with silk.
What plants does the silver-spotted skipper caterpillar eat?
This species' caterpillar feeds on the leaves of various legume plants, including black locust, wisteria, and beans, folding and securing a leaf shelter with silk on the same host plant it feeds from, venturing out from this protective refuge mainly to eat.