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 25 - 48 of 4221 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Sep 05, 2024
Submitted by: TJ in Derry
Region: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 08, 2024
Observation date: Sep 05, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 07, 2024
Observation date: Sep 02, 2024
Submitted by: JuMunchie
Region: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 07, 2024
Observation date: Aug 31, 2024
Submitted by: Benjamin Miller
Region: Knox County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 06, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 05, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 05, 2024
Observation date: Sep 04, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 05, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: regina rochefort
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 31, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Bouman
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Sep 01, 2024
Submitted by: polylepis
Region: Gonzales County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 31, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Bouman
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 02, 2024
Observation date: Sep 01, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 02, 2024
Observation date: Aug 11, 2024
Submitted by: Doug DeNeve
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 31, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2024
Submitted by: Kentonky41015
Region: Kenton County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2024
Submitted by: Ember S. Jandebeur
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2024
Submitted by: Ember S. Jandebeur
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2024
Submitted by: Ember S. Jandebeur
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2024
Submitted by: Ember S. Jandebeur
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Bouman
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2023
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
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