|
Resident Conservation Status North American Range |
A long flight period coupled with a broad range across the entire state, Peck’s Skipper can be found on most observer’s daily checklist. With rapid flight, both males and females nectar throughout the day. Males perch in sunny, open areas to await receptive females, and courtship takes place all day. Females lay eggs singly; caterpillars eat leaves and live in leaf shelters. Caterpillars and pupa overwinter.
Identification
Upperside of male is brown with reddish-orange patches; forewing has a sinuous stigma. Female is darker with no stigma. Underside of hindwing of both sexes has a patch of large yellow spots in the center surrounded by dark brown.
Flight
As with many of the meadow skippers, the Peck’s Skipper had a long flight period in Vermont, first appearing in the end of May and flying until the end of September. Reported to have one to two brood in the north, they appear to have had just one in Vermont during VBS. Extreme dates: 22 May 2007 in Bennington (T. Aramata) and 5 October 2007 in Stamford.
Distribution and Habitat
Common across the Northeast, Peck’s Skipper was found throughout Vermont. They are generalists and will colonize just about any grassy habitat such as meadows, gardens, parks, fields and roadsides. Adult nectar from a number of flowers including, milkweeds (Asclepias), dogbanes (Apocynum), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and many others. Hostplants are Rice Cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides) and Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis).
