Silver-spotted Skipper
Epargyreus clarus (Cramer, 1775)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Eudaminae
Identification: Wings are brown-black; hindwing is lobed. Forewing has transparent gold spots; underside of hindwing has a metallic silver band.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm).
Life History: Adults perch upside down under leaves at night and on hot or cloudy days. To seek females males perch on branches and tall weeds, and occasionally patrol. Females lay single eggs near the host trees, and the caterpillars must find their proper host. Young caterpillars live in a folded leaf shelter; older ones live in a nest of silked-together leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from May-September in most of the East, a single brood to the north and west, three-four broods from February-December in the Deep South.
Caterpillar Hosts: Many woody legumes including black locust (Robinia pseudacacia), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and false indigo (Amorpha species). Also selected herbaceous legumes such s Glycyrrhiza species.
Adult Food: The Silver-spotted Skipper almost never visits yellow flowers but favors blue, red, pink, purple, and sometimes white and cream-colored ones. These include everlasting pea, common milkweed, red clover, buttonbush, blazing star, and thistles.
Habitat: Disturbed and open woods, foothill streamcourses, prairie waterways.
Range: Extreme southern Canada and most of the continental United States except the Great Basin and west Texas; northern Mexico.
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.
Taxonomy Notes: Formerly in the subfamily Pyrginae.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 11359 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 20, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Nov 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 20, 2025
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 29, 2025
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Roane County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 04, 2025
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 13, 2025
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Sep 07, 2025
Submitted by: Snellzy
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Sep 16, 2025
Submitted by: creekwalking
Region: Polk County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 20, 2025
Observation date: Oct 01, 2025
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Oct 06, 2025
Observation date: Jul 25, 2025
Submitted by: gpugesek
Region: Cedar County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 29, 2025
Observation date: Sep 26, 2025
Submitted by: AzarNick
Region: Pettis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 27, 2025
Observation date: Sep 19, 2025
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 25, 2025
Observation date: Sep 08, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 19, 2025
Observation date: Sep 12, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 19, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2025
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 08, 2025
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2025
Observation date: Sep 10, 2025
Submitted by: HansPG
Region: Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 12, 2025
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: hsmarshall
Region: Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 09, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Scott County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 06, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Mississippi County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 09, 2025
Observation date: Sep 04, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Mississippi County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Sep 04, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Mississippi County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Jul 10, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 04, 2025
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