The Peck's Skipper

By Karin Bolcshazy

Last week at the new pollinator garden at David Councill Memorial Park, I noticed quite a few tiny, adorable, goldish brown butterflies darting around at a frenetic pace from flower to flower.  What caught my attention was an intriguing wing structure. I did a little research, and here we are.

Polites peckius, the Peck's skipper, is a North American butterfly in the family Hesperiidae (skippers), subfamily Hesperiinae (grass skippers). In the US, the skipper ranges in most of the northern and central states, except on the west coast.

Both sexes have dark brown and yellowish-orange markings. They often adopt a posture called the jet-plane position. In this posture, they hold their hind wings flattened out to the sides and their forewings raised above their backs, which is reminiscent of the shape of certain fighter jets.  It's appropriate, too, because most skippers are amazingly fast fliers. The wingspan ranges from ¾ to 1 inch. In nearly all skippers, each antenna tip is bent like a hook (this is a key ID character). Skippers have one big thing going for them: variety. The United States and Canada have well over 200 species of skippers, which make up about a third of the butterfly diversity in the two countries; worldwide there are estimated to be about 3500 varieties of skipper butterflies.

Peck's skippers fly from May to October and produce two or three generations each year. Adults consume nectar from flowers including red clover, purple vetch, and thistles and typically live in grassy habitats including meadows, marshes, and roadsides. Males perch in sunny open areas to await receptive females, and courtship takes place throughout the day. After mating, females lay pale green eggs individually on or near the leaves of host plants. After about 8–9 days, the eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the leaves of the host plant. The larvae build shelters by rolling leaves or tying them together with silk. The larvae pupate in a loose cocoon inside the leaf nest near the base of the host plant or in the upper soil layer. When fully grown, it emerges as a winged adult. Peck's skippers can overwinter in both the caterpillar and pupa stages.

From: Wikipedia; Birds&bloom.com; Missouri Dept. of Conservation; Wisconsin butterflies.org