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silver-spotted skipper
silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The silver-spotted skipper's wingspan is about 1.5-2.4 inches. The upper side of the wings is dark brown. The forewings have a gold-colored band and a few gold-colored spots above it that can be seen on both the upper and lower surfaces of the wings. The most distinctive feature of this species is a large, silver-white spot on the underside of each hindwing. The edges of the wings have alternating tan and brown marks.
BEHAVIORS
The silver-spotted skipper lives in gardens, along roads, in woodlands and in nearly any places with flowering plants and host plants for the larvae. Two to three generations per year are raised. Adults are active from April through October. There are a variety of host plants for the larvae, including black locust trees (Robinia spp.), honey locust trees (Gleditsia spp.), false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) and many others. Larvae protect themselves in a cluster of leaves that they fasten together. Adults obtain nectar from many types of flowering plants.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Illinois Status: common, native
