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.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 4219 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 26, 2024
Submitted by: Dave Rintoul
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 02, 2024
Observation date: Oct 24, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 24, 2024
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Oct 19, 2024
Observation date: Oct 12, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 13, 2024
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 08, 2024
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 07, 2024
Observation date: Oct 07, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 07, 2024
Observation date: Oct 04, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 04, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Cheri Pierce
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 03, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 03, 2024
Observation date: Sep 29, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 29, 2024
Observation date: Sep 29, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 29, 2024
Observation date: Sep 24, 2024
Submitted by: John Calhoun
Region: York County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 26, 2024
Observation date: Sep 19, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 22, 2024
Observation date: Sep 18, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 22, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Saunders County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 16, 2024
Observation date: Sep 14, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Sep 14, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Sep 14, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Sep 10, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 13, 2024
Observation date: Sep 10, 2024
Submitted by: David Sonnen
Region: Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 12, 2024
Observation date: Sep 10, 2024
Submitted by: David Sonnen
Region: Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 12, 2024
Observation date: Jul 29, 2023
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 08, 2024
Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 08, 2024
- 1 of 176
- next ›