Although there appear to be far fewer Lepidoptera on the wing this year, as compared to last year’s extraordinary numbers, one frequent visitor to gardens this summer is the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus). Like butterflies and moths, skippers are members of the Order Lepidoptera and, like all Lepidoptera, they are distinguished from other insects by their scaled wings.
Skippers are characterized by, and named by, a darting (skipping) flight pattern. Skippers are also easy to identify from butterflies and moths by their antennae clubs that hook backward, like to a crochet hook.
The Silver-spotted Skipper caterpillars feed on members of the legume family, including Black Locust, Honey Locust, Hog Peanut, ticktrefoils (Desmodium) and False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
Notice the white sploges on the skipper’s under wing. The sploges resemble bird poop and are thought to be an evolutionary defense against predatory birds.
Silver-spotted Skipper Nectaring at Oriental Lily
Good Morning Gloucester 