Southern Skipperling

  • Family name: Hesperiidae/Skippers
  • General description: Wings bright orange with narrow black border; forewing elongated. Male with narrow black forewing stigma. Female with black scaling along veins and broader black border. Ventral hindwing orange with narrow white ray through center
  • Field Marks: Very small. Forewing elongated, ventral hindwing orange with narrow white ray through center.
  • Sexes: Appear similar
  • Wingspan: 18-24 mm
  • Life Cycle: Egg: White, laid singly on host leaves Mature larva: Whitish-green with darker green dorsal stripe. Head green. Chrysalis: Green with small point off the head.
  • Number of Generations: Three or more
  • Flight Season: All year
  • Abundance: common
  • Habitat: Moist meadows, roadsides, disturbed sites, pastures, old fields
  • Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington
  • Larval Host Plants: Various grasses (Poaceae) including Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)
  • Similar Species:
  • Additional Information: Our smallest North American skipper.

Florida wildflower vehicle license plateThe Florida Wildflowers & Butterflies projects at the Florida Museum are sponsored in part by the State of Florida and the Florida Wildflower Foundation, Inc.