Pyrgus communis
Size:
Wingspan is 1 - 1 1/2 inches.
Similar Species:
White Checkered-Skipper
Tropical Checkered-Skipper
Both above species are strays found in the southern edge of the region.
Habitat:
Open areas including lawns, old fields, powerlines and meadows.
Range/Abundance:
Common from early summer into fall, rare to uncommon
in the spring.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from early March until late November in three broods with slight
gaps between broods.
Larval Host Plants:
Mallow family Malvaceae including globemallows Sphaeralcea,
mallow Malva and hollyhock Althaea.
Comments:
They tend to be fast fliers that buzz around quickly across open areas.
The fast flight and white flash makes for an easy ID on the wing in the
right habitat.
In the past 10 years research has shown that in northern Florida and Georgia
the White Checkered-Skipper
has replaced the Common Checkered-Skipper and it is impossible to tell
them apart without dissecting the male and looking at its sex organs.
Recently Ron Gatrelle has found White Checkered-Skippers in southeastern
SC; they are expected to move northward.
The top photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on October 05, 2003.
The center photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on September 20, 2002. The
bottom photo was taken in Caswell Co., NC on August 03, 2002 and the rollover
image was taken in Wildwood Park in Radford, VA on June 22, 2002.
