European skipper

not listed

NNA - Not applicable

SNA - Not applicable

not listed

European skipper is an exotic, small grass skipper with a wingspan of ¾″ to 1⅛″. It is native to Europe and Asia, where it is known as Essex skipper. It was introduced into Ontario in 1910, and has since been spreading about 20 miles per year. It is common in Minnesota.

The upperside of the both wings is mostly bright, brassy orange. There is a thin black margin at the tip and a very thin black margin at the upper edge. The veins are slightly darkened near the margin. There is no black cell end bar. There is a very thin black stigma on forewing of the male. There is usually a thin vertical black line at the end of the forewing cell of the female. The wings are otherwise unmarked.

The underside of the forewing is orange, that of the hindwing is grayish-brown. The underside of both wings has a powdery, whitish tint. The wingtips are rounded, not pointed.

The antennae are short, barred, reddish, and blunt-tipped.

The caterpillar is green, slender, and up to 1″ long. The head is pale green with a central, inverted Y shaped stripe, and two wide, vertical, white stripes. The white stripes are sometimes bordered by narrower, black stripes. There is no constricted section (“neck”) between the head and the first thoracic segment. There is a narrow, green, vertical stripe on the middle of the upper (dorsal) surface extending from the second thoracic segment across all abdominal segments. On each side of this middorsal stripe is a pale greenish-white stripe. There is also a whitish subdorsal stripe and a whitish lateral stripe. There is a white wax gland along the bottom of each side of abdominal sections 7 and 8. The thorax and abdomen are moderately covered with white hairs and sparsely covered with contrasting rust-colored hairs. Mature caterpillars are seen in early spring.

Wingspan: ¾″ to 1⅛″

Open, dry, grassy areas. Meadows, pastures, forest openings, parks, roadsides, railways.

One generation per year: Early June to mid-July

Like all skippers, they have a rapid, darting flight.

The females lay a row of up to 30 eggs on a host plant. The eggs overwinter and hatch in the spring

Timothy (Phleum pratense), orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata ssp. glomerata), quackgrass (Elymus repens), rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), and bluegrass (Poa spp.).

Flower nectar

Sources

4, 7, 21, 24, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

Common. Locally abundant.

Where found, this species is often explosively abundant.

Skippers have traditionally been placed in their own superfamily Hesperioidea because of their morphological similarity. Recent phylogenetic analysis (Kawahara and Breinholt [2014]) suggests that they share the same common ancestor as other butterfly families, and thus belong in the superfamily, Papilionoidea.

there were literally hundreds of these small butterflies on the daisies on the edge of a hayfield. Could someone confirm that this is an European Skipper for me? There are 2 of them in the attached photo. Thanks

Skipper on Thistle....

Skipper’s can be really confusing to me. Some look similar to some others so I guess all I know is this is some kind of skipper. July 2021

Signed….

Confused Dan…👀

Upper Side

Underside

Location: 1 mile south of Alida, Clearwater County, MN

there were literally hundreds of these small butterflies on the daisies on the edge of a hayfield. Could someone confirm that this is an European Skipper for me? There are 2 of them in the attached photo.

Thanks

Location: Rural Norman Co., Mn.

Skipper’s can be really confusing to me. Some look similar to some others so I guess all I know is this is some kind of skipper. July 2021

Signed….

Confused Dan…👀

Location: Pine City MN