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Sachem
Atalopedes campestris (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside of male is yellow-orange with a wide brown border and a large squarish black stigma. Female upperside varies from yellow-brown to very dark brown, but always has a square transparent white spot at the end of the forewing cell. Underside of female hindwing is brown with nearly square cream or white spots.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 5/8 inches (3.2 - 4.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch on or near the ground during most of the day to wait for receptive females. Females lay single eggs on dry grass blades in the afternoon. Caterpillars feed on leaves and live at the base of grasses in shelters of rolled or tied leaves.
Flight: Three broods from May-November in the north; four to five broods from March-December in the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and goosegrass (Eleusine).
Adult Food: Nectar from many flowers including swamp and common milkweeds, buttonbush, dogbane, peppermint, red clover, tickseed sunflower, thistles, New York ironweed, marigold, and asters.
Habitat: Disturbed, open areas such as roadsides, landfills, pastures, meadows, fencerows, yards, parks, and lawns.
Range: Southern United States from Virginia west to California; south through Mexico and Central America to Brazil. Strays and colonizes north to central North Dakota, southern Michigan, Manitoba, and northern Pennsylvania.
Conservation: Not usually 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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 4168 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/sachem072124creksidepark.jpg?itok=yA_jUYsb)
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0255_skipper.jpg?itok=ogJN-L1v)
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: psmith
Region: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20240704_125820_copy.jpg?itok=pLJUA77L)
Observation date: Jul 04, 2024
Submitted by: mcvaugh
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 18, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20240716_120213_copy.jpg?itok=YqG20LmS)
Observation date: Jul 16, 2024
Submitted by: mcvaugh
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 18, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_9655.jpeg?itok=UmqswIDI)
Observation date: Jul 17, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 17, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20240628_204213193_bamona-subd.jpg?itok=oSvp2QVe)
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_4037a.jpg?itok=rXDX1gPB)
Observation date: Jul 11, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Bouman
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc02804lb_sachem_male_dorsal.jpg?itok=J-x1sf6I)
Observation date: Jul 06, 2024
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Johnson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/_mg_0733.jpeg?itok=j6LXP2mK)
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: Lydiaak
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_4040a.jpg?itok=dn9IFueB)
Observation date: Jul 11, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Bouman
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p7090005_edited-1.jpg?itok=OvvmQFd5)
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p7090209_edited-1.jpg?itok=zd_q9BEB)
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0234_0.jpeg?itok=s6keLwyo)
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: ravenfrank1
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 09, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_5304_4.jpg?itok=j09Tv0gs)
Observation date: Jun 23, 2024
Submitted by: maxabutler
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_3618_1.jpg?itok=ElEMXAbq)
Observation date: Jul 04, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/screenshot_20240703_195832_inaturalist.jpg?itok=FGPgDcgS)
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: Steven Wilson
Region: Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 03, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20240616_185127336_bamona-subd.jpg?itok=5Mtr_x-v)
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 03, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20240615_173123038.jpg?itok=-ffGNY2Y)
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20240610_165327681.jpg?itok=BhS0iq3B)
Observation date: Jun 10, 2024
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/sachem_b.jpg?itok=8ChyXUqJ)
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 01, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc00915-enhanced-nr.jpg?itok=4uLbF312)
Observation date: Nov 01, 2023
Submitted by: polylepis
Region: Galveston County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 01, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_9289_0.jpeg?itok=_pMVXApr)
Observation date: Jun 26, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 27, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_2115_4.jpg?itok=gYg_RBtn)
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 26, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_2326_0.jpg?itok=YtDmmbbB)
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 26, 2024
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